


Vigilante Coffee

by Dashrabbit1, Space_Mom



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adapted From Roleplay, Everyone but Lance is a Gang Member, Flower Shop Owner!Lance, Gang Violence, Gang!AU, He Also Owns a Cafe!, He's More Oblivious Than Keith, Keith is Kinda a Blond, Lance Doesn't Always Know What's Going On, M/M, Pidge Likes Her Weed, Tags to be added, The Galra are a gang, Voltron is a Gang, obviously..., soulmate!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-11-04 06:32:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10985343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dashrabbit1/pseuds/Dashrabbit1, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Mom/pseuds/Space_Mom
Summary: The thing no one asked for but is here anyway. A soulmate Gang au.Keith had been shot during what should have been a simple raid, Lance is on the search from some flowers when he finds someone bleeding out in an alleyway.





	1. Distress

Keith had gotten himself into a mess.

He had been in plenty of messes before but none this bad before. None that left him in this state.

The gang had all agreed on this job and it was no bigger than any they had done before... Except the place they had robbed before hadn't had a gun behind the counter.

Keith had been shot.

And when the shot had rang out everyone had scattered. Keith had been right behind them, jumping on his bike and taking off. The group broke into individuals as usual after a job.

Unfortunately after a while the pain finally caught up to him and he had to stop.

That was how he ended slumped against the wall of an alley his bike parked nearby, holding his side.

Blood was soaking his side at this point and he had made several attempts to contact his team but so far nothing. That wasn't uncommon really, if any of them had gotten hurt they were probably tending to themselves or each other... He just hoped someone would answer him before someone else found him or he bled out.

Lance was lost. Horribly, horribly lost. He must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the line, and had wound up in the "shady" part of town. He flinched at nearly every sound he heard, clutching tightly at the pocket knife he had tucked away at his waist.

When he heard the mumbling up ahead, he thought maybe it would be someone nice enough to get him in the right direction. What he hadn't expected was to find someone calling for help while bleeding out. "Shit!" He exclaimed, and dropped to his knees by the male.

Lance had limited medical experience, but he knew he needed to get the wound to stop bleeding somehow. "I-I'm going to call an ambulance okay?" He dialed the number quickly and explained what was going on while he wrestled his jacket off. He hung up and balled the fabric up. "This might hurt, and I'm sorry, but I need to do this." He pressed it to the wound and held it there with force. "This will help you stop bleeding so badly though." He said.

To be honest, he was shaking, and not just from the effort. He was scared, and worried for the stranger. He didn't want someone to die under his hands.

Keith groans as the kid nears him and he shakes his head. Shit. He doesn't protest much as he starts trying to clean his wound.

The last word he catches is ambulance and he immediately perks up. "Wait, what? No don't call the-" too late. 

Keith groans and let's his head fall back, closing his eyes. Fuck.

He winces when he presses against him. His eyes scan over the alley, searching for cops or another person. Not being in his own territory was bad enough. This kid helping him in another territory was even worse. 

The chances that a rivaling group would pop up and create trouble was prominent in Keith's mind and honestly he did not want to be the one responsible for making this area anymore dangerous for this kid.

Lance looked down at the man, chewing on his lip. He was young, around Lance's age, and pretty. "You're going to be alright," he whispered, more for himself really.

He could hear the sirens from far off, and squeezed his eyes closed- he hoped they made it in time. Lance hadn't realized he'd begun to cry until the man under him brushed a tear from his cheek. 

"Sorry," he mumbled, and laughing softly at himself "I don't usually do this.."

The sirens were closer now, and Hope started to bloom in his chest

Keith sighs softly. This guy worrying like this... It did not make him feel good... 

In fact he didn't want him worrying about him... However he hurt and talking was hard and he was getting help... Even if it was going to hurt him in the long run.

Keith's eyes flick around the area again. "Well... It's not everyday you find someone bleeding in the alley so I would hope not... Fuck..."

"Help is almost here," Lance commented, catching the red lights that bounced off the buildings. "Is there someone I can call for you? Someone who might come to the hospital?" For some reason, he didn't want the other to be alone... not like this..

He didn't get to hear a reply as the ambulance pulled up at the mouth of the ally. He watched as the man was loaded up and, in a split second decision, climbed up into the back of the ambulance with him.

Keith closed his eyes as he was loaded in. All he could think to do was curse. He was terrified, he didn't want to look at anything.

He could hear the people climbing into the ambulance around him but he kept his eyes closed.

Lance watched as the EMTs hooked Keith up to machines and IVs, and relief flooded his chest. He thought maybe he had given the other a new lease on life.

Seeing the troubled look on the man's face had him reaching out to grab his hand. Lance's hand was slightly smaller than Keith's, with slender fingers. "It'll be okay.."

Keith opened his eyes to look at Lance. He blinks at him several times then squeezes his hand.

"You don't have to be here..."

Why was he still here? He had no connections to Keith? He had not reason to stay.

"I know I don't have to be, I just want to make sure you're okay..." Lance had no other reason as to why he was there.. he just wanted to make sure the other male wasn't alone. "Is there someone I can call for you?"

"No... I will... I'll call them later..." Keith shakes his head, wincing as one of the paramedics inspected the wound and pain shot through his body. "Fuck..."

The paramedic turns to his partner. "This is a bullet wound."

His partner blinks at him and his eyes flick over Keith and Lance.

 

Lance's stomach flipped at the announcement. A bullet wound? And in a shady part of town? The guy could be.. could he? He didn't look like he would be in a gang.

The other EMT set his lips in a grim line. "We're going to have to report this. Probably gang activity. You're lucky someone saved you."

Oh thank God. Keith closes his eyes. They hadn't yet gotten the report about his crew's raid.

That made things easier... For now.

The paramedic threw out a few commands to his partner to get something before settling since Keith no longer seemed to be in immediate danger.

Lance sort of sat and kept to himself for the rest of the ride to the hospital. He wasn't sure what else he could really do. Of course, he followed when the EMTs started to haul Keith away. But he was blocked from following.

He stayed in the waiting room until he saw two bulked up men walk in. They commanded attention and respect, and carried themselves with dignity.

Keith was a complete dick to the doctors. He kept jerking away from them whenever they tried to numb him until eventually he forced himself to stay still, shutting his eyes tight and trying to ignore the feeling of the needle. 

Luckily the bullet wasn't deep enough to require surgery and they removed it without to much if a problem while he ducked their questions. If they didn't know what had caused the wound it was possible he could still get away.

Lance, the curious little devil he was, silently followed the two men as they were allowed back into the ER. He was going out on a limb, but he felt like they might be here for the kid he saved earlier. Keeping some distance between him and the men, he slipped through closing doors, dogged doctors, and ignored nurses.

When they entered a small room Lance hung out in the hall, hopefully out of sight. He had a good feeling that they didn't know he had followed them, but one may have caught sight of him when they turned.

Hunk immediately went to Keith's bedside, worry etched on his dark face. "They got you good, Keith." He mumbled, looking at the wrappings around the wound. "Shit buddy, how did you manage to get out of that one?"

"Well I did text you. Some lanky kid found me... " Keith tries to sit up, wincing. "How is everyone? Did anyone else get hurt?"

As far as Keith knew the report hadn't got out yet and no one had put together the reason he had been shot yet, which was a good thing. It meant he might be able to leave soon.

"No, we're all good," Hunk said, gently pushing Keith back. "Shiro's phone got fucked, sorry we weren't able to get back to you."

Lance had to cover his mouth to keep quiet as he listened in on their conversation. He knew it was wrong, but he wanted answers, even if it got him injured or killed.

"Also, lanky kid?" Hunk pressed. "Tan skin? Brown hair? Glass bottle blue eyes?"

"Yeah. I don't think he put together how I got hurt but they definitely know it was from a bullet. Think I can get out of here before the cops show up for questioning?"

As was protocol Keith knew the doctors had called the cops. If anyone came in with a gun shot they had to report it. Hence the reason Keith had been trying to avoid the ambulance.

"Yeah, we just might be able to help you out buddy." Hunk starter to gather up Keith's things, making sure that they had everything before he would pick Keith up. "Oh, and Shiro?" He leaned in close to the other. "Grab the lanky kid on our way out?"

 

"Hunk I can walk myself." Keith makes an attempt to avoid Hunk picking him up but then the sharp pain in his side stops him and he gives in.

He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning against Hunk.

Shiro nods and crosses his arms. Waiting patiently for Keith and Hunk to get themselves together.

"That's right bud." Hunk patted Keith across the shoulders while he supported him. They could still move quickly like this, which was good, because they needed to disappear.

Lance hadn't been expecting them to be leaving so quickly, and had not thought of an escape plan. Though, turned out he wouldn't need one since it was being provided for him. He barely even had time to squeak before he was being pulled along behind Hunk and Keith.

Shiro didn't actually offer an explanation and didn't even properly pick Lance up. He grabbed the back of the smaller man's shirt and tugged him along, more focused on getting out than he was Lance's comfort.

Keith opened his eyes slightly and peered over Hunk's shoulder at Shiro and Lance.

Lance didn't struggle or try to fight Shiro, terrified that if he did something bad would happen. He went along behind without protest, and kept his trap shut until his cheek was pressed against the back window of a nice car.

Getting out of the hospital had been a breeze for Hunk, they'd done it a few times so they knew what to do. He'd look over his shoulder a few times to check on Shiro and the kid, and chuckled softly at Shiro's rough treatment. Carefully, Hunk helped Keith into the car and buckled him in. "Glad you're okay man."

Keith gives Hunk a small smile. "I'm glad I can count on you guys..." He glanced back at Lance and Shiro who were standing at the back of the car. He was slightly surprised by the way Shiro was being rougher than usual, than again this was a different situation than usual.

Shiro glances at Hunk. "How far are we taking this one?"

Hunk grinned at his friend and ruffled his hair. "Of course, that's what brothers are for, right?" He asked, then turned to Shiro.  
"Not sure. He needs to be evaluated, then we'll decide if we need to eliminate him or not." Hunk wasn't really sure, he wasn't the leader. "Ultimately it's your and Keith's call, you're the leader and the kid saved Keith's life."

Lance was petrified now, his breath fogging the glass as he fought to keep himself calm on the outside. He was terrified at the thought of getting killed for helping someone.

"Well..." Shiro looks up and he and Keith meet eyes. He looks back at Lance. "What do you think kid. Can you keep your mouth shut?" 

Shiro gave Lance a bright, friendly smile, as if they had not just been talking about killing him.

Unable to verbally answer, Lance nodded. His heart was pounding so hard, he was sure Shiro could feel it thumping through his back. Terror had frozen the rest of him stiff, and even if he could move, there would be no way he could fight off someone half again his size. "Y-yes, sir.." he managed to squeak out a few moments later.

Shiro releases his hold on Lance. "Good. Keep your mouth shut and you're safe. Other wise." Shiro makes a slicing motion across his throat.

He doesn't turn away from Lance, waiting for the kid to take off on his own.

Lance gulped and nodded again. He didn't need to be told twice what would happen if he yapped. But he couldn't make his legs work.

"Load him up, we'll drop him off somewhere, but we need to get going." Hunk said.

Shiro nods and yanks open a door for Lance before going and settling in his own seat. He twists to look at Lance. 

"Where do you live kid?" Might as well take him home, just to make sure he would be safe.

Lance crawled in and sat in the seat with his spine absolutely straight and his hands folded in his lap. If this had been an anime, he might have had a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"Huh? Oh, downtown... in the apartment above McClain's, the bakery/flower shop?" Oh yeah, that's his family business.

"Off we go then." Shiro gets good and comfortable, starting the car Shiro pulls away from the hospital.

Keith had been listening with his eyes closed the whole time. He opens them slightly though once the car starts moving and his eyes flick to look at Lance. He looks over the other before closing his eyes again. "What's your name?"

"M-my name?" God he must look like a bumbling idiot right now. Nervously, he began twisting his fingers, touching his hair. "Lance... it's Lance..." he had turned his head down and was looking at his lap.

Hunk hummed softly at the thought of the bakery. "Can we stop for goodies?" He asked Shiro.

Shiro stays silent for a moment then shrugs. "Sure. Why not."

"Lance... Thank you for helping me... Lance... Don't do anything like that again..." Of course Keith didn't mean helping people he just meant helping gang members like himself... It could get him hurt in the long run.

Hunk practically squealed in happiness. He'd been past the bakery before and had been dying to try some of the wonderful smelling baked goods.

"Y-you're welcome." Lance said, looking over at Keith for a moment. "I couldn't just leave you there. You may be a perfect stranger, but..." he trailed off.. where was he going to go with that..? "You know I'd do it again... I couldn't not help..."

"You're putting yourself in danger." Keith ran a hand through his hair.

"In danger of what?" Lance still really didn't seem to get it. He'd been raised in the city, away from all the gang activity. "Getting shot at? Taken for ransom?" He meant it as a joke, not knowing that could actually happen if he wasn't careful.

Everyone in the car goes absolutely silent.

They weren't messing around with this. Lance could be seen as an accomplice if someone found out he had helped Keith and all kinds of things could happen.

"Ah... sorry..." now he just felt like a dick. Glancing out the window, Lance watched parts of the city go by. Soon enough they were pulling up to the bakery.

He was half-tempted to just bolt, but something told him that might not fly well with the men in the car. "Thanks for the ride..."

"Don't worry about it." Shiro's voice had dropped from what it had been earlier, calmer, softer.

"What were you doing on the side of town... You had to know it wasn't safe."

"I was looking for a greenhouse. We're out of a carnations, and I need like a thousand of them to make corsages for all the stupid proms coming up." Lance said, scraping a hand through his hair. "I got lost. I'm not that great with directions.. sorry..." honestly, he didn't see why Keith seemed to care so much- they had only met that day, and Keith knew nothing about Lance.

He unbuckled and reached for the door handle. "Come on inside. I'll hook you up with some sweets."

Keith shifts, testing his wound before nodding. He gets out and Hunk and Shiro soon follow.

Lance slid out of the car and made his way to the back door. From there he could get to the kitchen, and then to his apartment. He didn't see the need of taking them through the front.

The three followed Lance, taking note of the area.

"So like... This is your shop then?"

Yeah, I just took over not too long ago." Lance said, closing the door behind the group before making way into the kitchen. It was late anyhow, and he figured he would just get a jumpstart on baking goodies for the front case. "I mean, it's not exactly what I want to do, but it's been in the family for a number of years."

He pulled on an apron and pulled a few doughs out of the fridge. They had been handmade just yesterday.

Hunk perked up and explored the kitchen with fascination. "This is great. I've never seen such a well equipped kitchen."

Shiro and Keith watched Hunk with fond eyes before settling down and leaving him to explore.

"I could use some extra hands in the kitchen.." Lance said, while forming out cookies and placing them on a pan. "It is my business now, and Im running it all alone.." the ovens were still preheated, so all he had to do was pop the tray in the oven.

Then he grabbed a different dough from the fridge and poured it out onto a floured surface. "I mean, if Shiro will let you?" He glanced over at the man who had manhandled him earlier, and almost laughed at how relaxed he looked.

Hunk perks up. He smiles brightly at Lance. "I would love to help out."

Shiro blinks. "Oh no thats up to him, his life, I don't control what he does for work. Him or anyone else." So long as they kept their mouth shut were the unspoken words. Sure their gang was a lot more lax than most others but the didnt mean they didnt have rules.

"Super cool," Lance smiled, and turned to Hunk. "I'd love to have you around. I'm sure the customers would love you. Not to mention you could man the bakery while I work on flowers for proms."

It actually wasn't a bad idea, though. Hunk looked so enthralled with the kitchen, which meant he probably cooked it baked a lot, so Lance wasn't worried about having to train someone. "You can start whenever you like, and I'll get right to work on getting you in payroll."

"Fuck yes." Hunk was probably a little to excited to bake with Lance. 

Keith was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable and kept shifting. He was trying hard not to let any of them see but Shiro of course noticed rather quickly. "Lance? Do you have any pain medicine?" The large man gets up, ready to go get some or take Keith home if Lance didn't have any.

Was it odd to call Lance by his name even though he didn't know any of theirs

"Oh yeah. It's up in my apartment. Give me a moment, I'll go grab it," he had just finished rolling out the dough he was working with and dusted off his hands. "I have some prescription strength from an operation last year. I couldn't take it often, it was too strong for me. Maybe it'll be good for... uh..."

Lance never really caught any of their names, but they knew his from when he told Keith. "Yeah.. your friend..." oh god. He had just hired someone whose name he didn't even know, he'd saved a guy whose name he didn't know... there were three men in his house that he didn't know and they could totally kick his lanky ass.

He jogged up the stairs and grabbed the bottle from his medicine cabinet; he was shaking a pill out on his way down the stairs.

Shiro accepts the pills and locates a cup and water for Keith. He hands them over. "Thanks. Here you go buddy."

Keith accepts the cup and takes the pill. He lays his head on the table. Shiro stays near, wanting to make sure he was okay. Sure the doctors had done their job but he was still going to be worried and protective.

Hunk in the meantime was still exploring the kitchen. "What do you usually bake anyway?"

"Yeah, no problem.." Lance says, and leans back against the counter he had perilously been working at. It was late as the adrenaline from that evening had finally started to wear off, and he was starting to sway a little.

"Usually? Cookies, cakes, pasteries..." he had started to list off while attempting to return to the dough that would become cinnamon rolls. "Scones.." he had to catch himself as his knees wobbled. Shit. "Quiche too." Pausing, Lance scrubbed his hand over his face as if it would wake him up. How the hell was he still functioning?

Hunk moved over towards Lance. "You okay? I can finish those if you'd like to rest."

"If you want to sleep we can lock up when we're done too." Shiro blinks at Lance, focused on him as he seemed so tired.

"I'm... I'm fine." Lance insisted, but grabbed onto Hunk's arm as he stumbled. "Shit..." This wasn't something he wanted other people to see, how weak he became sometimes. He especially didn't want these guys to see, lest they make fun of him for it. "I just need to sit down.." not even bothering to get a chair, Lance just slid down to sit on the floor.

Hunk cast a glance to Shiro who was getting up out of his chair. Keith likewise had gotten to his feet but hadn't moved from the table. "Hunk."

Without another word needed to be said Hunk scooped Lance up in his arms and headed to where Lance had gone earlier, locating a couch to lay him on he gently laid the kid out and tucked a pillow under his head.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The three gang members were crowded around Lance, all cow eyed and worried.

Lance didn't fight them, he couldn't anyway. Not when his arms felt numb and his head felt like it was spinning off his neck. It was just something that happened sometimes- he's get weak and have intense bouts of vertego or dizzy spells.

For a man so large and kind of intimidating, Hunk had certainly been gentle. Lance never felt roughed like he often did when family members had to help before. To be honest, he wasn't quite used to people worrying about him so much, much less people he'd only met that day.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he mumbled, running his eyes when he could finally move his arms. "Sorry, its.. it happens. Kinda like a seizure, i guess.."

"Do you have any medicine you can take? What helps? Can we do anything?" 

Keith and Hunk bounced back and forth with questions while Shiro kind of just hung back. Though he was plenty ready to find whatever Lance may need.

"I'm fine, really." Lance said, trying to sit up. Needless to say, it wasn't very convincing. "Really, I'm fine. Thank you." He was a little overwhelmed with all the questions, but he knew they were just trying to be helpful. "C-can I get a glass of water, though?"

Shiro immediately disappeared back into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.

It may have a bit odd but these three men... These three criminals were determined to take care of Lance. He had after all taken care of one of their own and had shown to be rather friendly, welcoming them even though any one of them could murder him with ease.

Lance's hand shook as he reached out for the glass, and he nearly dropped it as he brought it to his lips. But he was determined to do this one thing by himself. He drank, tipping his head back as he slugged the liquid back, wetting the dry throat he had had.

Funnily enough, he wasn't scared. He wasn't scared of the men, even though he knew they could be dangerous. He wasn't scared of them anymore because they were caring for him, and it sort of felt like they trusted him- it was a far fetched idea. Gang members usually only trusted the others of their group, and no one else. But for now, it felt kinda nice to be taken care of by three men who were much larger than he was.

Shiro and Keith settle near the couch, Shiro on the arm rest and Keith settled on the floor beside it.

Hunk retreated to the kitchen to finish the cinnamon rolls. After those were done though they would have to leave. 

They had things to be done after all.

Lance watched them, then leaned back and closed his eyes. "Thank you," he said. "For your help. It means a lot. So.. thanks." He wasn't sure what more he could say, because to be honest he was afraid he might not see them- besides Hunk -ever again. he wasn't even sure why he wanted to see them again, they were kinda scary, and could potentially cause trouble

"Well you did help one of us..." Keith glances up at Lance. He had crossed his arms, careful not to hurt himself though.

"Well true, I suppose.." Lance said, and rolled his neck a little bit, as a small knot had formed there. "You didn't seem to happy about me calling an ambulance." He really hadn't known what else to do. He saw someone possibly dying and they needed help.

"Well..." Keith glances at Shiro. "It wasn't the smartest move you could make... And admittedly we shouldn't be sticking around here..."

What he wasn't out and staying was that the three of them, without really talking about it, had accepted Lance into their group and he was now under their protection.

"Yeah, I kinda realize that now." Slowly, Lance opened his eyes and looked back and forth between the two men. "So, sorry about that. But what else was I supposed to do? I was freaking out."

Hunk came back a few minutes later, announcing the rolls were in the oven. He came and sat down on one of the cushions that had previously been taken up by Lance, but was now free. "Feeling better? You look better. Not pale anymore."

Keith shrugs a bit. He honestly couldn't say anything because he probably would have helped too if he was in that situation.

Keith sighs softly and shifts, leaning against one of Hunk's knees. When he had first joined up with the others it had been hard he had been distant and admittedly still was but there were times when he didn't act so... Emo... As Pidge described it.

He had learned to lean on his partners... They were his family now.

Lance couldn't helped the slight twinge he felt in his chest as he watched Hunk and Keith. He had always wanted something like that, people to rely on... He may have had a large family, but being one of the middle children, he had sort of been paid less attention to. His family still loves him, but he hadn't been very close with everyone.

Seeing the two men in front of him made him happy- happy that they were close, like brothers. "You guys probably need to get back to your thing..." he said, slowly rising. He wobbled a little bit was able to right himself before falling. "Thanks so much again."

"There's stuff in the oven. Are you going to be able to handle it?" Shiro asks in his soft voice. He kind of wanted to get back to Pidge but he didn't exactly what Lance's place to catch on fire in the night.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine." Lance said, touched that they were still worried. "I can handle it. Thank you, though." Man, he sounded like a broken record 'thank you, thank you, thank you'.

"Really, I'm good." He said quickly, before doubt could creep onto their faces. "Promise."

They all exchanged looks before nodding.

"If you're sure then... I guess we'll be off..." Keith holds an arm out towards Shiro for help up.

Shiro tugs him to his feet. "Can you walk on your own?"

"Yeah... I think I'm good."

Hunk gives Lance a big smile. "Do you have a preference for when I start? I can be in tomorrow if you'd like. Also I can find those flowers you were talking about."

"Alright," Lance was a little bummed that they were leaving so soon, but he couldn't keep them if they were needed somewhere else. He watched as Shiro helped Keith up, and started to walk them to the door.

When asked, he turned to Hunk. "You can start tomorrow if you'd like, that would be wonderful." He smiled softly, tilting his head a little, like a puppy might have. "The carnations? Are you sure? You don't have to, I can always try again in the morning." He didn't want to be too much of a burden on the man.

"I grow them." Hunk says this as if it's the most offhand thing in the world. 

"Hunk here owns the top floor of a building... And he built a greenhouse on the roof." Shiro explains.

"Really? Wow. Wow yeah," Lance's smile brightened as he lead them down the stairs and back into the kitchen. "That would be a big help, thank you so much."

"No problem. I'll be back tomorrow then." Hunk smiles.

The three of them head back towards the car, Shiri settling Keith comfortably while Hunk works out plans with Lance.

"What time do you want me in at?"

"Well, I usually open by 8, by the first few hours are kinda slow.. 10 should be fine." Lance said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets while trying not to shiver violently in the cold night air. "Drive safe, and please don't get shot again."

"Will do. See you tomorrow." With one last smile Hunk got in the car and they drove off to return to their hangout.

Keith fell asleep on the ride home. The pain meds kicking his ass and making him pass out.

Lance waved as they went, and sighed when they were gone. The three gang members had been the closest things to friends that he had, and he had only met them today.

Before heading to bed, Lance wrapped up in the kitchen, plating cinnamon rolls and cookies for the next day. He drug himself up the stairs of his apartment, and didn't even bother going to the bedroom. He passed out on the couch.


	2. Bring the Flowers

The next day was an interesting one. Keith was woken up by Hunk dragging his flowers into the living room and picking out what he was taking with him to Lance. Keith of course got up and started helping him... Then Shiro and Pidge had come on as well... And it had just turned into flower party with coffee and biscuits.

Lance was up early to bake up more cookies, scones, and various other goodies for the front of the shop. He opened promptly at 8 in the morning, and had only helped perhaps a dozen or so customers by the time Hunk and company had arrived with the flowers.

They went in for a greeting first. The car had been filled with the flowers but they left them there for now. "Hey." Hunk waves. "So... I didn't know how many flowers you needed so..." "He brought a shit ton!" Keith calls over Hunk's shoulder. "Seriously we have enough to run a flower shop out of our car."

Lance had just helped his last customer, and they had just walked out when Hunk and Keith came in. "Hey guys!" He smiled, and brushed his hands off on his apron. "I smelled you when you walked in." A soft chuckle left his throat as he reached for a paper cup. "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

Keith settled at the table like he had the night before. "Coffee. Please..." "Double on that." Shiro waved at Lance. "Also do you want us to just leave the flowers for now."

"Just a coffee?" He asked, just to make sure as he pulled off three cups. "Hunk?" He asked, while waving back to Shiro. He lined the cups up as the group seated themselves, and turned to look over at them. "Hmm, I can bring them in after getting you guys coffee. It's really slow right now, so it's not a big deal."

"I think there are some other flowers mixed in there too. I think Pidge was only have paying attention while sorting so you may have to go through them again." Hunk shook his head at the offer of coffee. "If it's not mechanical Pidge doesn't pay attention to it. We all know this." Despite his words Keith carried a good natured tone to his voice. "Oh shut it Keith." Hunk nudges Keith playfully. Normally they would have probably wrestled a bit but that was not a smart idea while standing in a business area and with Keith still a bit sore.

"That's alright, I might wind up needing them." Lance said, his shoulders raising in a small shrug as he poured coffee. He skirted around the counter and placed the cups down in front of Keith and Shiro on the table, grinning brightly, "Anything else before I potentially drown myself in flowers?"

"I think we are good." Shiro thanks him for the coffee and sips at it. "Wait a minute and we'll come help you." Keith accepts his coffee and sets it aside so it will cool down.

"You don't have to," Lance said, shaking his head slightly. "You're hurt, so sit your butt down. I can handle this." He wasn't going to let Keith get hurt even more. "Besides, you just got here. Don't worry about it."

"It just grazed me. I can carry a few bundles of flowers." Keith starts to get up. "Plus I took some drugs before coming here. No pain to worry about."

Shiro sat back to let them work this out. He was pretty sure Lance wouldn't let Keith work unless he was convinced Keith was okay, which worked for him.

Lance gave Keith a hard stare for a few moments, before sighing softly. He knew that Keith would be stubborn about it. "Okay fine, but only a few. You're not getting hurt on my watch." 

He turned and propped the front door open, so it wouldn't be a hassle when they were packing flowers in. "C'mon buff stuff."

"Buff stuff?" Keith raises an eyebrow at Lance.

Keith and Shiro follow Lance out, leaving Hunk to do whatever he was up to.

Keith popped the trunk of their car. It was different from the one they had driven yesterday with a large trunk that Hunk had filled with flowers.

"Flower delivery." Keith gestures at the trunk with enough flowers to run a shop out of it.

"Yeah, buff stuff. Mr "just got shot but I'm gonna help anyway" man." Lance was being totally lame, but that's okay, he was always lame.

He stared in awe at all the flowers. There had to be nearly a thousand of them. Bunches and bunches and bunches of different colored carnations and a few other flowers thrown in- probably from Pidge.

"Jesus you guys. That's a shit ton of flowers..." where had Hunk been all his life? Liked to bake and cook _and_ could rival a professional nursery? He was a keeper.

"Like I said we didn't know how many you needed."

Keith starts shifting one of the bunches. "So where are we taking these? Hunk! Get your ass out here! And you just shut your mouth about the getting shot thing. It's really not a big deal."

Keith had been lucky. This wound was nothing. He hadn't been with the gang long enough to get terribly injured but he had seen the others with way worse. Shiro for example was absolutely covered in scars. Though most of them were covered by his clothes the poor guy had been through more than any of them.

"No, that's perfectly okay. I can make arrangements with what's left over." He collected up an armload of bundles in the crook of his elbow and started for the shop again. "Just follow me. There's a chilled room where I store them."

He lead them to the spot, and slid the bunches stem-down into a bucket of water. "This way they stay fresh longer."

He sensed the topic of getting shot and injury was touchy and decided to let it go. Keith seemed to want it kept on the down low anyway, so Lance would comply.

With all of them helping it didn't take long for them to get all the flowers in. 

Keith brought in the last bundle. He tilted his head at them then pulls out one of the flowers. "Hey look. A rose got mixed in with these."

He holds a single red rose out to Lance. He was smiling a bit as he held the rose out to Lance, waiting for him to take it.

"Thanks guys, that was a big help," by then, his flower room was nearly overflowing, but it smelled so good and the display was absolutely beautiful. He was about to turn and leave when Keith offered up the rose.

He turned to the raven-haired male and blushed slightly. No one had ever offered him a rose before. Tentatively, he reached out and took the offered flower, his long, tanned fingers just slightly brushing against Keith's. "Thank you," he whispered, trying to keep his cheeks from flaming.

Lance wasn't entirely sure why he felt like this, since he hardly even knew the guy. But there was just... something about him, and it made Lance's chest tight and his heart flutter.

Once Lance had taken the rose Keith turns away to head back into the shop. He and Shiro had rode with Hunk so unless they went on foot they were stuck there for the day.

He settles back at the table, outting his phone.

Hunk had gone back to exploring the kitchen. "Anything in particular I should make?"

Lance sighed softly once Keith had turned away and left. Why was he feeling like this? Shaking his head, he placed the rose in a small vase and set it on the front counter where he would always be able to see it. There was a little desk where he worked on flowers so he could still serve customers and fill flower orders at the same time.

"Huh? Oh, no not really. You can start on whatever you'd like. I'm sure everyone will like it." To be honest, he hadn't even thought of what he wanted Hunk to do. He offered a small smile to his new employee, one that was slightly apologetic. "I'm still really new at this, so I'm not really sure what to do.."

"Alright... I will make... Do we have everything for banana muffins?" Hunk glanced at Lance.

"Well you'll get the hang of it. No reason to rush it."

"Banana muffins? I think so..." Lance tapped at his chin. "I don't know if there's any bananas back there if not, I guess I could run to the store." He appreciated all the help they were giving him, it made him feel less like a failure.

Hunk nods and goes in search of bananas. "Success."

Hunk ended up spending most of the day baking, stocking the entire place almost by himself. He also proved to be rather good with the customers, offering bright smiles and jokes.

It was fun to watch really.

Shit and Keith hung around in the kitchen occasionally helping Hunk or Lance out but for the most part they just sat and talked or just played cards.

They all left Lance to his flower arrangements since he probably knew the most out of any of them.

Shiro had wandered over and watched Lance at one point though, offering a tip to balance out one of the corsages once or twice but other than that was a silent observer.

All in all it was a peaceful day.

Lance chuckled softly and left Hunk to his own devices, trusting he knew what he was doing around the kitchen. He was grateful for the extra hands, and the new bright smile.

He would jump in and help every now and then during the usual rush hours, but he was happy to see how well Hunk was handling things. It was nice, being able to sit and work on the numerous flower orders he had- and wouldn't have to burn the midnight oil to do so.

He tipped his head back when Shiro pointed out a few things, and offered a smile to him. Turns out, Shiro had an eye for detail; maybe one day Lance could teach him how to arrange flowers and make corsages.

By closing time, Lance's cheeks hurt from how much he had smiled that day. Granted, he smiled often and brightly, but he always had a smile on his face that day.

"Wow, what a day." He said, stretching and popping his back for a moment. "Thank you guys so much."

Hunk was busy taking stock if the kitchen. "Hey Lance. We need a restock... I uh... I went a little crazy with the baking and we are out of a few things."

"We can make a store run tonight and bring the stuff in tomorrow if you'd like." Shiro offers, joining Hunk to look over what was missing.

Lance had to laugh at the idea of being out of stock. "That's not really a bad thing! Man, I should have restocked earlier." His laughter turned almost nervous as he looked over what they were out of and low on. "Wow, you really did bake up a storm!"

He tapped on his chin again, it was something he did often when he was thinking. "You guys don't really have to? I mean, you guys already brought me flowers.." he didn't want to feel like a burden to his new friends.

"It wouldn't really be a problem. Hunk is coming back here tomorrow anyway and we have to stop and get milk for Pidge. I don't know what she does with it half the time." Shiro chuckles a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "I swear between Hunk's cooking and her... Whatever we have to buy a new gallon every week."

"We do buy a gallon every week." Keith rolls his eyes a bit. "She likes milk with her baked goods. Oh and guess what. Hunk makes a new batch of cookies or a cake or... I don't know didn't he make like a giant cupcake once?"

"He did actually. And it was delicious."

Lance chuckled softly at the exchange, hiding his grin behind his hand. "That sounds wonderful. Well, I suppose if it's not too much... you guys can bring me the bill and I'll pay you back. Seriously, it's the least I could do."

Plus he would feel less guilty about it later.

"Right. What's the list?" Hunk grabs a napkin to write down the list.

"Wait stop. You're going to loose that. I'll write it on my wrist." Keith takes the pen from Hunk. 

"Dude that ink is not going to wash off and you know it." Hunk warns. 

"Yes it will. It always does. Besides. Doesn't matter." Keith brushes Hunk's comment aside, obviously not caring.

Hunk sighs but then lists off what they need. Going through the cupboards as he does.

Lance helps keep track, writing them down on his own piece of paper. When they had gone through everything, he read the list back to Keith.

"That's a lot.. are you guys sure it's not a big deal? I can always go to the store tonight." He was following them out, and paused at the back door.

"Nah we got it. We'll see you tomorrow Lance." Keith waved as he headed back out to the car.

Shiro and Hunk follow him after a moment. They wanted to get back before Pidge locked them out as she had a habit of doing.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing just a bit annoying when they were packing groceries.

"Alright, take care!" He stood st the door as he had last night and watched them go. After they had passed from his sight, Lance returned to finish up the corsage he had nearly completed before taking it to the flower room.

He headed upstairs for a shower, and noticed something odd. He didn't remember writing on himself earlier. That wasn't his handwriting.. wait a second... eggs, flour, butter... that was a shopping list. The very one Keith had written on his own arm. _So what the hell was it doing on his arm?_


	3. Blooming Bromance (or More?)

Hunk was the only one to show up in the morning. He had let himself in with the key Lance had given him (on the off chance he wasn't awake yet), and began to put away the groceries that been bought last night.

His wrist was covered in flower doodles, very female looking flower doodles. There was also a sunset mixed in with them that he had penned in himself.

He hummed softly as he put everything away, a content smile on his face as he worked.

Lance greeted Hunk warmly from his little flower station. He finished up his little project and got up to help Hunk haul things in.

He couldn't help but notice the little doodles and smiled. "Your girlfriend?" He asked. His own wrist was bare again, as he had taken time to scrub all the ink off. His wrist had been chafed and bright red by the end of it.

"What? Oh no. My soulmate. We haven't actually met yet." Hunk goes over to Lance, extending his arm. "She likes to draw flowers and stuff on her own arm. And she really likes sunrises so I drew that one for her... She's sweet. I'm hoping I actually get to meet her one day."

Lance traced one with his fingertip, a small smile on his face. "That's so cute. I'm sure she's going to be wonderful." His own chest tightened. Did that mean Keith was his soulmate? Or had Keith written on him while he wasn't looking? He would have to test it out later... for science.

"So what's cooking today?" He asked, leaning back against a counter. "Everyone really loved your banana muffins."

"I was going to make some cupcakes actually. Butterscotch. I haven't tried my hand at those for a while do I thought it would be fun to do again."

Hunk settled for now. He didn't have to start baking quite yet. Once people started getting up and around then he would but for now he was content to sit and talk to Lance.

"That's totally fine! I'm sure they'll be wonderful. I haven't tasted a bad thing from you." Lance smiled at Hunk, tilting his head slightly.

They chatted for a while until the sleepy people began to trickle in. While Hunk baked, Lance worked the front. He had filed the whole soulmate thing away in the back of his mind as he worked. When he wasn't busy ore helping Hunk out in the kitchen, he was doodling little stars and tiny flowers on his wrist and hand.

Keith shows up around noon, parking in the back. He had taken his bike and by some miracle had managed to ride while holding a tray of coffees.

"I brought coffee. Lance I didn't know what you liked so I just took a guess." Keith hands Lance a coffee then another to Hunk. "I thought since I was bringing Hunk some I'd get you one too. 

Keith leans against the counter, sipping his coffee. Just like Hunk he had doodles all over his wrist, not that he paid any mind to them. Actually he hadn't even noticed them. After all they had formed while he was on his bike and had pushed up his sleeves only as he entered the building, though they quickly were beginning to fall back down.

"Oh, that's fine," Lance said, accepting the cup. He thought he saw ink on Keith's wrist, but it was only a fleeting moment. "I'll drink anything really, just not black coffee." He took a sip of the coffee and smiled softly. "Thanks, Keith."

He wasn't really paying attention to Keith, feigning slight indifference. He didn't want to stumble and fall to quickly and get hurt because he was acting like a lovesick _Disney_ princess.

"So what have you two been up to today?" Keith swishes his coffee as he talks.

"Not much, really. Hunk made some amazing butterscotch cupcakes though. Seriously, this man can bake and make it work. His girlfriend is going to be one lucky woman. I'm jealous." Lance took a long sip of his coffee before sitting back down to finish a corsage.

"That sounds delicious." Keith sneaks over to the warmers and snags a cupcake.

Just one was okay right?

"They are delicious. I ate five of them." ...and he was eating his sixth... "Sorry Hunk, you're going to have to make more for the customers, I have a feeling we're going to wind up eating them all."

"I have no problem with that. Let's make a deal. Each batch makes like 24 at the least so we can just leave like half of them to be eaten in the back. The other half should still be enough to pay for what we eat." Hunk smiles and starts going about making another batch of cupcakes. He hands the frosting ingredients to Lance and Keith to make while he did the batter.

Lance chuckled softly and grabs a bowl and the hand mixer. "Here, this part is easy." He set the things on the counter and gathered what he needed in close. "Start with this."

He walked Keith through making the frosting, and let him finish it while he got piping bags ready. "You ever handled a piping bag before?" He asked, filling the bags up with the frosting.

"Uh... No? Dude I've never made anything more complicated than a noodle cup." Keith glanced at Lance then dipped his hand in the bowl and scooped out some frosting.

He couldn't help it. It was sweet and looked so good.

Lance couldn't help the long string of loud laughs that came bubbling out of his throat. He couldn't believe that Keith spent so much time with a culinary genius and didn't know how to make anything harder than a noodle cup. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." He said, having to crouch.

He was gripping the counter with the hand he had doodled on, the blue ink obvious against his tanned fingers. "I'm so dead, oh my god." When he finally was able to get himself under control, he stood back up and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, I needed that. I feel like I just added ten years to my life span."

He smacked Keith's hand away from the bowl and resumed filling the bags. "Here, I'll show you. It's not hard I promise." He took one of the bags and held it close to the top of one of the cupcakes. "Like this," he squeezed lightly and swirled his wrist, making a perfect frosting swirl. "It's going to be a little awkward at first, but you'll get the hang of it. Now you try."

Keith and Hunk exchange looks. Was that funny? Whatever Lance could laugh at whatever he pleased.

Keith takes off his coat before starting the bags, setting it aside. He tried doing what Lance did, trying to copy the movements. 

He was painfully slow about it but he did eventually get it on there and... It looked messy as hell.

"It looks like a baby just vomited on a cupcake." He wipes his forehead, smearing frosting across it and into his hair because, surprise surprise, he had gotten frosting on his wrist somehow.

Lance had frosted about half of them, watching Keith and giving him pointers. "You'll get the hang of it. It takes practice." He smiled warmly at Keith, then let out a soft chuckle.

"You're got a little frosting on you. Here, I'll get it." He grabbed a rag and got it wet it under the sink before coming back to Keith. He didn't even offer the rag up, just cleaned Keith's forehead off. He had just taken hold of the other's hand when he stopped dead.

Keith had stars and flowers across his knuckles... Just like he had...

Confused, Keith blinks at Lance. "What?" He glanced at his hand. He hadn't looked at Lance's hand yet so he didn't really get what he was starting at.

He held up his hand with curiosity. "My soulmate drew these? Is that what your staring at?"

Lance swallowed tightly and thrust the rag into Keith's hands, keeping his inked up one turned down. "Excuse me..."

He rushed up the steps to his apartment, nearly slamming the door. God what was wrong with him? Why was he acting like a total fool. Why did he feel like he wanted to cry? _Why why why?!_

Keith looks to Hunk with utter confusion. What had he done?

He shakes his head a bit and finishes up the last of the cupcakes before bidding Hunk farewell.

He doesn't go up to say goodbye to Lance, figuring he wouldn't want to see him.

Hunk does go up after Keith left, knocking gently on the door. "Lance?"

The male had curled up in himself and was sitting with his back to the door. God he felt like a wreck... he jerked when Hunk knocked.

"I'm here," Lance croaked, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I just... I don't know what came over me.." he wasn't about to open the door- not when he was vulnerable again.. not when he was a mess...

"Keith left." Hunk sat with his back against the door. "Don't want to talk about it? You don't have to open the door... I saw the marks..." 

He traced the doodles on his own wrist as he spoke. They were starting to fade now and he had half a mind to go over them so they would stay longer.

"Why do I feel like this?" Lance asked, his voice drifting weakly through the door. "Like it hurts? Why does it hurt that he's so blind?"

He sniffled as he looked down at the ink on his own hand. It had smeared a little when he got it wet. "I'm sorry, this is... I'm not usually like this..."

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it... Keith is a blond. Like... An _extreme_ blonde. _White Chicks_ level blond. He's really oblivious to his surroundings." Hunk sighs softly. "I don't know why it hurts... Maybe because it seems like he's not paying attention to you? He is though, I mean, I'm pretty sure he is. He had the forethought enough to bring you coffee and help out around here."

"He just seems so indifferent, like very little seems to amuse him and peak his interest.." Lance sighed softly and shook his head "I guess I'm just being overly sensitive.. I just.. I thought maybe meeting my soulmate would be totally different.. more... movie type stuff." 

He sighed again softly and wiped his face. "I wouldn't want to hold you up in case you're needed elsewhere. I'll close up in a little bit okay?"

"Lance that's just how Keith is... Look let's go out together. There's some really nice bars around here." Hunk gets up and knocks on the door again. "Drinks on me. Let's just go hang out.'

"You sure?" Lance asked, scooting aside a little. "Door is open, if you want to come in.." he wasn't sure if he was in the clubbing mood, but maybe it would take his mind off Keith for a while. That would be good. "Yeah, lets go."

Hunk smiles at him. "Alright cool. I'll wrap up the cookie dough I was making and then we can head out."

Hunk wasn't really one for the club scene but he knew where there were a few bars that were a little quieter where they could just sit and drink and play card games.

"Sounds good, I'm gonna wash my face." He finally uncurled himself from the ball he had been in, and stood. "Thanks Hunk, for just... listening to me." It wasn't something that others did for him often. They usually just dismissed him and called him silly.

He came down a few minutes later in a nicer pair of jeans that hugged his legs and a flannel over an indie print shirt. His face had been washed, and he had scrubbed the damned ink from his hand and wrist- he would _not_ think about Keith at all tonight.

Hunk smiled at him. "Ready? The place isn't to far so we might as well walk."

That would also keep either of them from attempting to drive drunk. Hunk often insisted that they walk when going out. Which really made sense when one thought about it

"Yeah, sounds good. Smart thinking." He was picking up on the implied 'so we don't drive drunk'. "You can crash here tonight too, the couch folds out."

Grabbing his keys, Lance grinned at Hunk over his shoulder as he opened the back door. "Thanks again, this will do me good." He waited until the other was out before locking up and hooked his keys to his belt loop as he followed Hunk down the street

Hunk nods. "It's not a problem."

He strolls alongside Lance, directing him when they had to turn. It wasn't long before they came to the bar. It was a quiet small bar that carried a rather friendly vibe. Almost like the kind you saw in the movies where people just hung out and drank and talked.

Lance liked the place immediately, liked its easy vibe and leisurely talking. It was a good place to have some drinks and talk. It was a good place to get away for a little while. He was having so much fun, if even just for a little while. He kept his drinks cheap, so that he wouldn't feel too bad about having Hunk pay for him.

He wasn't even as drunk as he thought he would have been- he didn't need alcohol to enjoy time with Hunk, he was just so naturally captivating and entertaining.

Hunk ordered drinks for him and Lance, setting up a tab since, hey, neither of them had anywhere they needed to be.

Hunk kept cracking jokes and doing things to make Lance smile or laugh. He had decided he liked Lance's smile. It was pretty.

The more he drank, the more he laughed and grinned at the silliest jokes and cheesy pick up lines they were firing back and forth. To be fair, Lance had tried to pace himself, but the night just got better the more alcohol he downed.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing when leaned himself against Hunk, just just knew that the other was warm and very cuddly. "I'm glad I ran into you guys..." he mumbled softly "I've only known you less than 48 hours and you're already the best friends I could have ever asked for." His speech was a little slurred, but he _seemed_ mostly in control of himself.

"Why don't we head back to my place and watch a movie, or drunk play video games. I think I've got some tequila in the cupboard."

Hunk looped an arm around Lance without a problem. The guy was like a teddy bear, perfect for cuddles.

"Sounds good to me. Just let me pay the tab." Hunk had a pretty bad habit of becoming more touchy the more he drank. He wanted to cuddle more and more as his drunkenness progressed, which had lead to some pretty odd encounters. So he really didn't mind when Lance leaned on him.

Lance had settled right in for a few minutes before he nodded and let Hunk do what he needed to do. He tapped his foot and waited impatiently- he was sort of needy when he was drunk, wanting to touch and be touched. It's why he didn't like to drink often, but he trusted Hunk.

Of course, he was much smaller than Hunk, so the alcohol affected him differently. While Hunk seemed pretty fine, Lance needed a little support to walk straight. He wasn't piss drunk, just a little unsteady, and they made it to his apartment with no troubles. Finding the right key took a tick longer than usual, but it wasn't fumbled in the slightest.

Hunk guided Lance along, making sure he was going to be alright. They were in their territory so he wasn't to worried but still.

He waited patiently for Lance to unlock the door and once inside he took off his coat, planning on getting good and comfortable while they watched a movie and took shots.

And hopefully cuddled because fuck yes.

Lance shucked his flannel off in the kitchen, leaving it draped over the back of a chair. He was now just in that tank top, whose sides were cut low to show off all that tanned skin and lean muscle.

He fished out the tequila from the cupboard and a lime from the fridge- which he cut into slices before grabbing the salt and two shot glasses. "Let's get this party started." He was being a dork, but he didn't care in the slightest, he was having fun and that's what mattered.

He flopped down next to Hunk on the couch, with his legs crossed as he reached for the remote. "So what are you feeling like?" He asked, pulling up Netflix.

"No clue. Turn on whatever. I'll be happy." Hunk glanced at Lance, waiting for him to get comfortable. 

It was kind of amazing how comfortable Hunk was with Lance, and rather quickly too. Hunk was not one who came by trust easily.

It didn't take Lance long to settle into Hunk's side again; he was snuggled up with his head on the other's shoulder within a minute, and his leg slung over Hunk's not much later. He had picked a random movie, which turned out to be one of his favorites from when he was younger- the Road to El Dorado.

He hummed along to the opening credits while he poured them both a shot. "A lime for you?"

"Yes please."

Hunk snuggled against Lance. He was good and comfortable with Lance, content to drink and watch a movie with him.

Lance handed over the shot glass, followed by a lime wedge. "Cheers my friend," he said, tapping his glass against Hunk's before tipping it back.

He hummed at the slight burn, then bit into the lime. This was good, he needed this. After a few rounds of shots, Lance was snuggling with Hunk while the movie played.

Then, out of the blue. "Hunk.... Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Hunk really was enjoying this. It had been a while since he had just sat and drank with someone and just did whatever. The last time he had done this he thought he was with Pidge and she wasn't exactly a big drinker so this was way better. 

He loved Pidge but Lance was easier to spend time with.

"Mmm... A few times... Why do you ask?"

Lance had never had friends that would drink with him, and he didn't like to do it alone because he would up pissing himself off. So having Hunk there was great, not only was he a cooking genius sent from above, he could also meet Lance shot for shot, and he was a total sweetheart.

"I dunno, I was... just wondering.. like does it feel different than kissing a girl?"

"You've never kissed a guy before?" Hunk shrugs a bit. "It's not that different. Girls tend to have plumper, softer lips but other than that there's really not a difference."

Hunk tilts his head and brings a hand up to rest on Lance's cheek, brushing his thumb just under his lip. "Then again your lips look really soft and kissable."

"I've.. only ever kissed a girl." That was such a lie, he's never actually kissed anyone before... he was listening, but his eyes were shifty.

Until Hunk cupped his cheek, then he was looking directly at Hunk. He couldn't help the soft blush that dusted his freckled cheeks. Lance couldn't get his mouth to work, couldn't get words out of his throat for a moment- and when he could, they weren't what he wanted to say.

"Really? I wonder if they're as soft as they look.."

Hunk hums softly, tilting his head. It's a moment before he leans forward and connects his lips to Lance's.

He let the kiss linger before pulling away. "My hypothesis was correct. Your lips are soft and kissable."

Lance shivered slightly at the contact, but he didn't push Hunk away. He was captivated by the gentleness of Hunk's lips, the lingering taste of lime and tequila.

His cheeks were thoroughly red by the time they parted. His brain must have been fried then, because all he could whisper was "wow"

Hunk smiles at him. "Are you okay?" 

He probably should have asked before kissing Lance but it had seemed okay at the moment and the kid wasn't having a completely terrible reaction.

Lance nodded softly, biting his lip slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm good." He smiled up at Hunk while subconsciously touching his lip.

He had never imagined what a kiss would feel like, but if they were all like that or better, he wouldn't mind receiving more. In fact, he was already leaning back in.

Hunk watches Lance for a moment then leans in once more and kisses Lance again.

He took his hands while he kissed him, squeezing them gently. He could tell that Lance hadn't kissed a lot of people, but he was more than okay to sit and be patient with him.

Lance shivered as their lips met again, a soft sigh leaving through his nose. He was a little clumsy, and slow for the first few kisses until he got the hang of it... sort of.

He curled his fingers into Hunk's larger palms, his nails scraping against the lighter skin there. His mouth was getting needy, lips parting slightly as if asking for more.

Hunk complied with Lance, leaning into him. His hand finds its way to the back of Lance's head to tangle in his hair.

He nips lightly at Lance's lip, testing his reaction before giving it a firmer bite.

A soft, almost gasp left Lance's mouth at the hand in his hair, the fingers just tight enough to get his to arch his neck, but not too tight as to be painful. That seemed to be Hunk, soft but also hard as well, if needed.

The nipping drew a needy noise from him, the bite pulling it out even louder. He clutched at Hunk's hands, his breath puffing against those sweet lips as he pulled back.

Hunk lets Lance pull away without any resistance. He wasn't planning on taking this any further than kissing anyway.

Lance was drunk and had been upset mere hours before. They would both regret it in the morning if Hunk didn't have a firm hand in that regard.

When Lance's lip snapped back into place, it was red and starting to swell. His eyes were a little hazy and unfocused, but slowly clear. 

He looked so embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry.." he scrubbed the back of his neck while looking down at his lap. "I didn't mean to force you..."

"I'm the one that kissed you." Hunk smiles at him. "And even if you had made the first move, I wouldn't have cared." 

He runs a hand through Lance's hair. "Any one who kisses a beauty like you would be blessed."

Lance's cheeks flushed a whole new shade of red. "I-I..." he was stumbling. No one had complimented him much before, and the hand running through his hair made his thoughts go blank for a moment. "Thank you.."

"You're welcome." Hunk casts a glance at the TV, curious to see what they had missed.

He looked back at Lance after a moment, humming slightly. He was wondering if he should kiss him again- it certainly had been wonderful.

Lance swallowed after he was finally out from under Hunk's warm hazel gaze. He was still nervous, but he was trying not to let it show.

Kissing Hunk had been everything he had imagined it would be, and then some. He tipped his head back up slightly, meeting Hunk's eyes again.

Hunk only smiled at him and leaned in to give him a tiny kiss. "You should head to bed... Work is still a thing you have tomorrow."

Lance huffed softly, but accepted the kiss nonetheless. He wanted to groan at the thought of work. "Ugh, don't remind me.." he sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "You should stay, it's late and you've been drinking- not that I doubt your driving, but I want you to be safe." What he wasn't saying was that he also didn't want to be alone, and just wanted to be held.

"I'll stay." He can't help but smirk a bit. It would give him a better excuse to take care of Lance in the morning. Hunk knew Lance would probably have a hangover in the morning, and was already making plans for breakfast and a hangover cure.

"Good. I will not be responsible for injury due to accident." Lance stopped the movie before getting up to stretch. He would clean up in the morning, of course, because right now he felt like a bag of jello.

"We can fold out the couch, or you could sleep... on the bed with me. It's pretty big.."

"Might as well join you. It's probably easier that way." Hunk gets up, stretching his arms over his head and groaning. "If you don't mind that is."

"No, no, that's totally fine." Lance was also internally cheering, since it meant that he had a warm person to cuddle and not just a hoard of pillows. "It's this way."

He started for the hallway, his feet making soft pattering noises on the hardwood

Hunk follows, eyes flicking over Lance. Not for the first time he took notice of how lovely his thighs were.

He never thought he would be a leg man but damn, Lance had some nice thighs.

Lance caught Hunk's look and chuckled softly. It seemed to be a common thing, people checking out his thighs. He lead Hunk into the bedroom and flopped onto the King sized mattress with little grace.

Hunk settled on the edge of the bed, smirking a bit. "Well someone seems happy to be getting into bed. Did you enjoy yourself tonight? We'll have to do this again."

He laid down so he and Lance were on the same level.

"I had a lot of fun," Lance said, lifting his head a little to look at Hunk as he laid down. "And that fun has made me kinda sleepy." He let his head fall again for a moment as he reached out, pressing a finger to Hunk's lower lip. "We definitely should do this again.. soon."

"You should rest. I'll be here in the morning." Hunk smiles and raises and arm, looping it around Lance in order to cuddle him.

Lance laughed softly and snuggled in close to the other male. He was big and warm and soft, and an incredibly excellent cuddler. The tanned male had no idea how honestly tired he was until he was dozing off in mere minutes.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in a long time.

Hunk cuddled Lance through the night. He slept rather soundly himself.


	4. Fucking Soulmate?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets shook, Lance gets pissed.

Hunk had set an alarm for fairly early so he could get up and make breakfast for himself and Lance. He also wanted to make Lance didn't have too bad of a hangover, and allotted time to make a hangover cure just in case.

Lance rolled over and groaned at the sound of the alarm. It pierced his eardrums and made his head throb. He pressed his face into the pillow with a whine, wanting it to be quiet.

He was hungover, not too badly, but the uncomfortable fog was still there. He was grateful to have someone there to help him out, since he couldn't count on both hands all the times he'd woken up alone with a killer hangover.

Hunk got up and went to take care of himself first. He washed his face and made a cure; once he was pretty okay he started breakfast while Lance was still waking up.

Eventually, Lance pulled himself from the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. He splashed some cool water on his face and reached for some Tylenol in hopes of taking the edge off the pounding in his skull.

When he finally slumped his way into the kitchen, he managed a little smile for Hunk. "Hey buddy." He looked a little wretched, with small, dark bags under his eyes and gnarly bedhead.

"I made food and coffee. Also that shot glass there has a hangover cure in it." Hunk smiled softly, looking at Lance over his shoulder as he plated food.

"My savior," Lance was being very dramatic, but he really was glad that Hunk was there and helping to take care of him. He reached for the shot glass and tossed it back, then set it back on the table.

Hunk sets the eggs and biscuits he'd made on the table. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Ah, some creamer and chocolate." He said, and went to grab silverware from the drawer for the both of them.

"Alright. Sounds good." Hunk mixes Lance's coffee, humming softly as he does.

"What are the plans for today? Have you finished all the flower arrangements you needed?"

Lance sat down across from where Hunk had set his plate and slid a fork and a knife over. "More corsages, and a bouquet for a bride. She's getting married this weekend, but I'd like to get it started today."

"Do you want to go to my green house for some more flowers? I can call Shiro to take you there and stay behind to run the shop." Hunk settled across from Lance to eat his own breakfast having made sure everything was on the table.

"Are you sure? It can get pretty busy sometimes.." Lance had a worried look on his face as he forked a bit of egg into his mouth. "I wouldn't want you to get overwhelmed." The idea was tempting though, as he would be able to see all that Hunk was growing. He really wanted to, but he didn't want to leave Hunk alone- not that he didn't trust Hunk, just that he didn't want him to be swamped.

"Dude I can handle a shop for a few hours. Possibly less. I've worked harder jobs before." Yeah, like robberies and raiding other gangs. You hadn't have a tough job until you were sneaking around a creaky ass abandoned house in search of weapons and drugs.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Lance turned the fork tines on Hunk, using the utensil like a pointing stick. "Coffee is kinda different that drugs and weapons."

He didn't doubt Hunk at all, not the slightest. He was just a worry wort and wanted to make sure Hunk was alright with doing that.

Hunk gestures at the table. "Lance. I can take care of it. Go enjoy the flowers. And really it's not that different. People are people no matter what situation they are in. And I can deal with their rude asses... And I did not mean that as a threat I promise."

Lance chuckled softly and shook his head. "Alright, alright. I believe you. But if you need help, call Shiro and have him drag me out. Because honestly, I might just move into your green house."

Hunk laughs softly. "I don't think I'd be opposed to that. I'll call Shiro after breakfast. I don't think he's busy today, but it will probably either be him or Pidge."

"I mean, you will never get me out of there. I never go flower shopping alone because I tend to overspend and never leave." He speared another bite of egg and popped it into his mouth. "So, if I never come back the shop is yours."

"Fuck yeah. This is Hunk's shop now." He laughs softly and shakes his head.

Lance burst into another round of laughter and sat back in his chair. "I can see it now: McClain's, under new ownership." He shook his head as well and rubbed his face. "Beautiful."

Hunk laughs softly. "Okay okay. I'm going to text Shiro... I'm also going to have him bring me a change of clothes."

Hunk washed his hands before grabbing his phone and sending a text to Shiro

"Alrighty," Lance finished up his plate and took it to the sink. He rinsed the dishes while Hunk sent the text and put them in the dishwasher.

"I'm going to grab a shower okay? I shouldn't be too long."

"Alright. Shiro will be by probably in a few hours to come get you. He has to make sure his eyeliner is on point."

"I knew it!" Lance shouted. "I knew that boy had eyeliner skills out the wazoo." He paused, tapping his chin. "I will need him to teach me his ways." He shrugged and leaned against the hallway wall. "Well, I'll help you open and get things squared away then, obviously since I won't have anything better to do."

"Alright. I think I'm going to make carrot cake today." Hunk goes to start getting out his ingredients.

"Carrot cake sounds wonderful." Lance said, following Hunk. "How can I help? Want me to start on frosting when I get back from my shower?"

"Have at it. Make sure you set a little aside so I can dye it." Hunk starts another round off coffee while he puts the ingredients together.

"Alright, I'll be quick!" Lance darted back to the bathroom and quickly bathed himself. He didn't get to spend as much time under the hot spray as he would have liked, but it was enough to be clean. He dried off and dressed just as quickly, before joining Hunk back in the kitchen to make up a batch of sweet buttercream frosting.

Hunk was just getting ready to put the cake in the oven when Shiro showed up.

The moment Hunk spots him he starts making a cup of coffee for him. 

"Morning." Shiro tosses Hunks clothes at him. "Stayed here last night eh?"

Lance had just finished separating and wrapping the frosting up when Shiro came in. He hoped the man wasn't getting the wrong idea about them. He delivered his coffee when it was done, his hand shaking slightly

Hunk nods. "Yep. We went out for a few drinks so I just stayed here." Hunk gestures to his clothes. "I'm going to go change. Are you going to take my car back?"

"Yeah I rode my bike over." Shiro answered, stirring his coffee absentmindedly.

"I'll wait until you're done," Lance said. "Just in case someone comes in," it was unlikely anyone would be here so early after opening, but there was always the chance. Plus he was trying to collect himself.

Lance knew Shiro wasn't big and tough all time time- he had seen the softer, caring side of him the other night -but that didn't mean he still wasn't intimidating.

Shiro was wearing much similar clothes as before only this time with the addition of a beanie that he had tucked his stunning white bangs into. 

A few strands had fallen free, barely visible if one wasn't looking closely.

Shiro leans against the counter and glances around the shop. "When did you open this place up?"

Lance couldn't help but glance over Shiro from head to toe- his presence demanded to be acknowledged. He was a little disappointed not to see those pretty white bangs, since they suited Shiro so well.

He was a little startled when Shiro asked about the shop. "Oh, my dad started it up after I was born. I liked to get into his forget-me-nots, and I guess one day he just... opened a shop. We added the coffee shop after a few years, since my mom could do coffee. Now they're retired and I run it."

"Family business then huh? It's a cute little place. I like coffee shops like this. My mom's friend had one while I was growing up I would just sit in there for hours, eating ice cream, sucking down a Frappchino. It was the best..."

He stared at his coffee as he spoke, getting lost in his memories.

"Yeah, I was the only kid that wanted it. It almost got shut down.." Lance rubbed his arm slightly. The thought of loosing the shop scared him, really it did. It was precious to him, and held many memories.

"That's really cool, though. Those are the kind of memories I love to cherish." He smiled softly, a little lopsidedly. It was kind of nice to see more than just the rough n' tough side of the gang leader.

Shiro shakes his head as if that could remove the memories. "Yeah..." He smiles a bit.

"So Hunk's greenhouse huh? Anything you're going for in particular?"

"Ah, well sort of," Lance was sort of picking up in the vibe that Shiro wasn't going to open up anymore, so he didn't prod or pry. "I need some lilies for a bouquet, and believe it or not, I need more carnations for corsages." He rubbed his forehead and sighed softly. "But I'm also going just to look around. I might need you to drag me out."

Shiro laughs a bit and shakes his head. "You think so? That won't be a problem I don't think. After all I could probably drape your skinny ass around my neck and use you as a scarf."

"I'm kinda of a flower addict," Lance said, teasingly. "And just because I'm skinny doesn't mean I can't fight back. It's lean muscle." He was just bluffing, there was no real way he could fight Shiro off anyway.

"You wanna prove that?" Shiro smirks a bit and stands, setting his coffee aside.

"I said fight back, not defeat." Lance said, taking a slight step back... against the counter. "C'mon, you're half again as big as me, and you've got a good 50 to 75 pounds on me, most of which is probably muscle. There is no way I'll be able to beat you."

Shiro just smiles at him. "Fighting back is hard when youre slung over my shoulder like a bag of flour."

"I could totally kick you in the face." Lance said. "I never skipped leg day." Those thighs didn't lie either, they were majestic.

"Yeah you're thighs are pretty nice I will admit that." He shrugs a bit.

Hunk returned a moment later. "I agree with that statement."

"They will turn all the men gay!" Lance chuckled, throwing a leg up on the counter. "Wanna feel these puppies? They're nice."

"I don't need to feel them to know they are nice." Shiro picks his coffee back up.

"Suit yourself I'm not passing up this opportunity." Hunk ran his hand along the inside of Lance's thigh, that giant grin on his face once more.

"Maybe they feel nicer than they look- which they do." Lance smirked, watching Hunk's hand as it traveled along the swell of the muscle. His large palm spanned the whole curve of it, his fingers might nearly have touched if he wrapped them around.

Hunk whistles. "You really don't skip leg day." He grins at Lance and looked to Shiro. "Are you sure you don't want a feel?"

"Leg day is life." Lance commented, and wiggled an eyebrow at Shiro. "Free thigh touches yo, this is something you're not going to want to pass up."

Maybe it was, since Lance didn't know which way Shiro swung.

Shiro rolled his eyes but finally joined Hunk, giving Lance's thigh a nice squeeze. "Yeah that is a really nice fucking thigh. I think I'm a bit jealous of Hunk."

Shiro was teasing. He didn't know what had happened the night before. He almost was certain actually that Hunk probably didn't sleep with Lance but he could still tease them.

The comment had Lace blushing furiously. He and Keith had not done anything beyond kissing last night, but that didn't mean he wouldn't flush at the insinuation that something happened between them.

"Aw yeah, be jealous. Hunk handles the best thighs to grab around town."

Shiro laughs softly at them. "Alright alright. Let's go. You have flowers to see."

Shiro pats Lance's thigh before shooing hunk away and chugging the last of his coffee

"Flowers!" Lance immediately turned into a little kid. He reacted to flowers the way a child might react to candy. "I'm so excited!"

He let his leg down and collected up his wallet and keys. It was a force of habit to do these things.

"Hunk. Keys." 

Hunk looks up then tosses his keys across the kit hen to Shiro. "Go easy on my baby boy. He isn't like your bike."

"Yeah yeah I know. Come on Lance."

Lance practically bounced out the door. "I'll try not to be gone all day!" He called to Hunk. "Just call Shiro if you need help, he'll know what to do."

Shiro follows Lance more slowly, like a parent following an over excited child.

It was a short trip to Hunks building and a long ride up. The entire top floor was rented by him and it was well equipped with everything they needed.

When they entered Pidge was sitting cross legged on the couch, the coffee table was pulled right up against it for her to set he computer on.  
Lance reigned himself in during the car ride, the only evidence of his over excitement was the tapping of his fingers against his knee. He knew he was probably overreacting about the whole thing, but he really loved flowers.

He was surprised to see someone else there, but it had never been specified if the space was purely Hunk's, or if they all shared it. But the place was nice.

Lance tapped Shiro's shoulder gently and nodded towards Pidge. "One of your fellow members?" He asked. He would have said hello, but she seemed very into whatever she was doing.

"That's Pidge." Shiro ruffles Pidge's hair as he passes, not getting much of a response until she pulls herself out of her work enough to answer.

"What's up?" She slowly tears her eyes away from the screen then look curiously at Lance. "Is this the one everyone seems to have a crush on."

"Stop it." Shiro snorts a bit. "This is Lance. We are going up to look at the flowers."

Lance couldn't help but flush at the comment- crush? What? The only one who seemed remotely interested in his was Hunk, and it might just have been because they were drunk.

"Ah, hi." He waved shyly to Pidge, almost hiding behind Shiro.

"Sweet. I'll come with. I need to refresh the vase." Pidge pushes the table away from the couch and gets up, strecthing arms above, "I'm thinking yellow today."

"Sounds good to me." Shiro gestures down the hall. "Greenhouse is this way."

Shiro leaf the way down the hall past many door ways. Some were ajar, revealing the room with in.

Which were the bedrooms.

Lance followed along behind the both of them, thinking to himself. Was Pidge making a joke? Or was she serious? Would she want help with the vase of flowers? Or did she know all there was to know about them? He didn't want to accidentally insinuate that she was lacking in knowledge, because she certainly wasn't.

He was surprised to see the bedrooms though, and tried to avoid looking inside. Those were areas he hadn't been welcomed into yet.

The roof of the building was like any other. All the building had the same roofs... Well... Not exactly. A huge plexiglass building took up most of the roof.

Shiro unlocks it, because apparently they locked their plants in, and flung the door open, revealing the giant flower filled room.

Among other things of course... Were those pot plants in the corner? Probably.

Pidge immediately headed to the roses and started browsing. She didn't do much to help take care of the plants... Okay that was a lie. She loved helping Hunk figure out ways to make the plants grow bigger and stronger... She did enjoy picking out flowers to fill a vase down in the kitchen. Because why not right? Wasn't that a thing in the movies? The happy family keeping a vase filled somewhere in the house?

Lance gasped softly at the immense selection of flowers in the room- roses, carnations, geraniums, dalias, chrysanthemums; he nearly creamed his pants in his excitement. He followed Shiro and Pidge inside, twitching like a ticking time bomb as he looked around at all the dazzling colors.

It was settled, Lance would move into this room and die a happy man.

Shiro watched Lance. He really was like a kid in a candy store. "Enjoying yourself Lance?"

"I think he just about came." Pidge comments from where she was picking out flowers for her vase. She didn't look up. Didn't need to to know Lance was mooning over the flowers.

"This is even better than I imagined," Lance whispered. "I think I might cry." He was just messing around if course.

He moved further in, looking for just the right flowers he needed- and oh God did Hunk have them all and more. His arms were full in no time- filled with flowers for his friend's bridal bouquet, more corsages, and Mother's Day arrangements.

"We'll have to plant more flowers if we're going to start supplying your shop." Pidge tilted her head. "I wonder if I could get them to grow more blooms.

She was picking out yellow roses as she spoke along with some baby's breath for an accent.

Lance found a bucket the deposit his finds into before he slowly approached Pidge. "Well, I can always go other places, but these.." he touched a petal lightly, admiring the silliness of the creamy yellow rose. "There are so much better than any nursery I've ever seen."

He looked down at Pidge where she was sitting with the vase, and got an idea. "Mind if I join you?" He asked

"Feel free. Hunk and I majored in space craft engineering. We apply a lot of what we know to the plants." Pidge places the roses she had picked out in the vase, starting to adjust them into a pretty arrangement.

"You should try their weed. That shit is fan-fucking-tastic." Shiro settles nearby. He and Pidge were often who kept the vase filled, he had started the tradition and Pidge had jumped on it with him.

"Leave my weed alone. It's not ready."

"Space craft engineering?" Lance asked as he settled next to Pidge. "That's cool," he smiled softly, watching Pidge's hands working. "Big brain geniuses." He helped adjusting a little, and soon the vase looked like a bouquet from a high-end floral shop.

When Shiro spoke up, Lance looked back at him for a moment. "I probably wouldn't know. I uh.. I've never smoked."

Shiro laughs a bit. "We actually don't either." 

Pidge raises an eyebrow at Shiro.

"At least... Not often. Special occasions. Pain. That's about it." Shiro shrugs.

Pidge picks up the vase, ready to take it back down to the apartment. "Dont let him fool you. Shiro used to be all over that shit."

To keep himself from chuckling at the exchange, Lance covered his mouth with a hand and bit his lip. He liked the dynamic between the two. He stood with Pidge and grabbed his own bucket of flowers.

"Well, maybe one day when it's ready I could come over. I've actually wanted to try... but I just don't trust people on the street. But you guys? Different story."

"Trust us huh?" Pidge glances at Lance. "Good. Because I'm pretty sure the guys have adopted you."

Pidge leads the way back down into the apartment and down the hall, setting her vase back in its place on the table.

Lance couldn't help but laugh at that. "Adopted me, huh?" He glanced back at Shiro and smiled. "That's cool."

He followed Pidge into the kitchen, which still smelled like Hunk's cooking.

"Are you guys heading back to the shop now or are you going to hang out for a while longer?" Pidge hopped up to sit on the counter, sipping her coffee.

Shiro shrugs. "I don't know. We can probably hang out here for a bit, especially if Lance wants to go explore the green house a bit longer."

"I was thinking about going to Home Depot later. I was thinking it might be fun to paint our bedroom door and I want to look at tile for that new house I bought."

"I'm afraid that if I go back up I won't be able to come back down." Lance admitted. "But I wouldn't mind going to Home Depot. I mean, you guys have helped me out, so maybe I could help?"

It wouldn't be too long of a trip right? Paint and looking for tile wouldn't take more than an hour or two, perhaps, but it would still be fun.

"Sweet." Pidge kicks her feet a bit, almost looking like a little just sitting there on the counter.

About that time Keith comes wandering out of the hall. He was shirtless and the pants he was wearing, which were clearly to big, were slung low on his hips. "What's happening?" He was rubbing his eyes so it takes him a moment to look up and see Lance. "Oh. Hi Lance."

Lance smiled at Pidge and settled into a chair at the table. He had quickly adapted to the new place and felt pretty at home, which was strange to him. He never opened up so quickly.

Then Keith walked in and Lance's cheeks flamed. "Hey Keith." He couldn't help how his eyes were drawn to Keith's torso- it was just there. His eyes paused on the healing bullet wound on his side, the red and purple contrasting against his pale skin. Lance, however, had enough decency not to stare and cast his eyes elsewhere.

"We're going shopping later. Are you going to come?" Pidge pours another cup of coffee from the pit beside him, holding it out to Keith.

"Sure I guess. Just have to take a shower first." Keith yawns, taking the coffee and sipping at it without bothering to put anything in it. "Fuck. That's nasty." He sets the cup down and goes to the fridge to get the creamer.

Shiro glances at Keith. "Are those my pants?"

"Yep."

"Damn it, Keith. You have your own clothes."

Lance just sat quietly, not really sure what to say. He twisted his hands in his lap, trying hard not to stare at Keith's body. It was hard.

Keith settles at the table with his coffee. He would take a shower in a minute. "Is Hunk at the shop?" He looks to Lance eating for him to answer. He figured he was but just wanted to be sure.

"Yeah, he is," Lance replied. "He's covering for me while I came here to get flowers." But now he was going to go with Pidge to Home Depot, and he hoped Hunk didn't mind.

"Makes sense. He really likes it there." Keith yawns a bit. "Watch, when you come back he'll have drawn in crowd."

"Oh God, it's going to be the mall all over again." Pidge laughs and shakes her head.

"Well, that's not entirely a bad thing right? He's pretty freaking amazing." He smiled at the thought of Hunk working the crowd so well. But he was curious about the mall. "Did something happen at the mall?"

"We left him alone for an hour, just an hour, and somehow he had become the food court king and had drawn a huge crowd." 

"Don't forget the part where he became Gordon Ramsey as well. Like holy fuck I would never want to be in a cooking competition with him as a judge." Shiro shook his head.

Lance just burst out laughing at that, because he could totally see that happening. He had to clutch his stomach because it started to hurt. "Oh my god that is fucking great. For real? Shit, I am so glad I hired him then."

"Dude if you leave him to be himself in that shop you're going to be jammed every afternoon. You'll have to hire him a damn assistant." Shiro was smiling.

All of them were. They all loved Hunk so much they couldn't help but smile.

"I love him so much." Keith's voice is soft and fond.

"We all do Keith."

"I'm going to need to expand if that happens," Lance said, a dreamy smile on his face. That had been his dream, to expand. They'd been a small corner shop for the past 17 years, it was time to step up. "I second that, Keith. Holy shit Hunk is a keeper."

"He really is." Shiro smirked at Lance. He gave Lance this look, as if he knew something the others didn't. Which he did. Sort of. Not really but still.

"His soulmate is going to be one lucky girl," he said, not even meaning to. Soulmates were something that rarely got discussed in his family, in his friend circle really.

Lance wasn't really sure why Shiro was smirking at him, and he raised an eyebrow at the leader.

Everyone falls silent for a moment, thinking about their own soulmates... Some even wondering if they had one.

Keith glanced at his own wrist. "I hope he gets to meet her soon. They are really cute... Some nights Hunk will just sit here and they'll scribble doodles back and forth... Alright well. I'm going to go take a shower."

Lance was getting the feeling that maybe he shouldn't have brought it up, and immediately felt bad about it. "Ah, enjoy your shower," he said softly, looking down at the table.

After a few minutes of sulked quiet, he picked up the pen that was by his elbow and began to doodle on his arm, little forget-me-nots rough sketched in blue ink. "So, Pidge... New house. What are your ideas?" Shiro was just asking for some sound, he was still busy staring at his wrist.

"I'm thinking I'm going to do shades of grey in the bathroom..."

"Grey in the bathroom really lightens it up and gives it a sort of modern feel." Lance says, adding some shading to the petals. He didn't even notice that Shiro was watching his wrist, or why.

"You should help me pick out the vanity. I'm not totally sure what to do for the color." Pidge gets up to get more coffee, patting Shiro's shoulder as she passes.

"Totally," Lance smiled softly, and set the pen down. "If you're doing a light grey, they maybe a darker grey for the vanity or maybe black. Possibly even a brighter color if you're feeling adventurous."

"Ehhh... I think black or dark grey. The living room is going to be in greens and the kitchen is going to be yellow." Pidge shrugs. "I have color schemes picked out just not the details."

"I think a darker color will compliment nicely with a lighter grey." Lance said, tilting his head slightly. "I'm really liking the colors you're deceiving. Have you picked exactly what color you want for those rooms yet?"

"Not really. I'm mostly going with my gut to see what will work." Pidge shrugs again. "Do you want more coffee?"

Keith reappeared from his shower then, crossing the kitchen in just a towel, heading to his room..

"That's totally fine, that's how I picked the colors in my apartment. It's surprising how much it actually works." Lance politely declined the coffee, claiming that more than one cup would give him the jitters.

But of course, the thing that really gave him the jitters passed right in front of him just barely covered. _Oh shit..._

Pidge raises an eyebrow at Lance. "What? Not used to naked men walking around the house?"

"I live alone, so no." Lance said,trying to keep his eyes from wandering. It wasn't easy when the lines of Keith's body were so easy to follow.

Keith stops and turns, blinking at them as if he wasn't standing there in a towel.

Pidge nudges Lance. "Better get used to it. They have a habit of it."

"I'm going to die from blood loss. And it's going to be their fault." He whispered.

Pidge laughs a bit. She leans over to whisper back. "Just wait until you see Shiro without his shirt out. He's got the kind of abs that make girls stupid and men gay."

Keith shrugs after a moment and continues to his room to get dressed.

"I'm already halfway there on the gay thing," Lance mumbled, watching Keith was away. He couldn't help it. But he was also sort of glad because he didn't have to fight so hard to keep his damn body in check.

Just then, he realized that Pidge had been talking like Lance might be living with them, which made his brows furrow. She had said the boy's had sort of adopted him, but he just thought like in a friendly way..

Pidge settles back in a chair with her coffee. "Yo! Keith! Hurry up man!"

"Home Depot isn't going anywhere!"

"Yeah, but Frappachino Happy Hour is!"

"Pidge. You're having a second cup of coffee right now do we have to go to Starbucks." Shiro face palms.

"Yes." Pidge doesn't hesitate in her answer.

"No offense, but when was the last time you slept?" Lance asked, nudging Pidge's knee. "Or more importantly, are you going to sleep tonight?"

He couldn't hide the slight laugh in his voice at the exchange between Pidge and Keith. It was just funny to him, they were like siblings.

"Don't be crazy. I sleep every night." Pidge laughs.

"For two hours. She sleeps two hours every night." Keith came out, pulling his shirt into place.

"Two hours is plenty of sleep."

"Two hours is a cat nap for me. How do you do it? How do you even function?" Lance grabbed Pidge's knee like a man grabbing a lifeline. "Tell me your secrets, child."

"How do you sleep more than five?" Pidge shooed him away from her. "Now are you ready to go?"

She chugs down the last of her coffee, placing the empty cup in the sink.

"I have to sleep for a solid seven or it's a no go." Lance and stood from his chair, placing his cup in the sink. He ran some water into it to rinse it out, and left it to sit. "You're insane."

He stretched slightly and accidentally bumped into someone as he arches his back. "Oh, sorry."

Keith wraps his arms around Lance when he bumps into him, gently touching his side. 

"It's not a problem. I'm ready to go if you all are." Keith let's his hand linger on Lance's side before dripping it as he walks away to head down to the car with the others.

Lance couldn't help but blush a little as Keith wrapped his arms around him; aside from Hunk, no one else had done that in such a manner.

His heart was still hammering in his chest as he made his way to the car with the others. The touch felt like it was still happening, with the way Lance could still feel it

Shiro seemed to be the designated driver. Even though Pidge had the keys she tossed them to Shiro as they reached the car.

Pidge settles in the passenger seat, leaving Keith and Lance to sit in the back.

Lance settled into a seat, buckled up, and folded his hands in his lap. He was oddly formal again, not wanting to accidentally insult. Not like he would, but still.

Keith gets good and comfortable, crossing one leg over the other, then glanced at Lance. "You know you don't have to be so stuff right? We're gang members not the royal court."

"I know, but..." he nervously scratched at his ear. The ink on his wrist was visible to Keith then, little blue flowers trailing down his arm. "I just.. I dunno. I'm a little weird, sorry."

Lance chuckled a little nervously and let his hand fall back into his lap. "I'll get used to it eventually. It's just new to me.."

Keith blinks. Then looks down at his own wrist and back again.

"WhaAT The FuCK?" Keith bristled.

Shiro slammed on his brakes in Surprise and jerked the car resulting in a bump to the back end. He cursed under his breath.

"Keith what the hell?" Shiro put his car in park, cursing about having to get out and cheek the car. 

Lance let out a little shout as he was slammed into his seat belt. "Keith, what the hel-" he had started to shout, then stopped when he saw the drawing on Keith's wrist.

"Lance? You're my fucking soulmate? The hell?" Keith's voice was a bit loud with his shock.

He cringed a little as Keith shouted, but reached out for Keith's arm to get a better look. " _"The hell?" "Fucking soulmate"_. You say it like it's the end of the world!"

Shiro rolls his eyes. "Oh my God Keith. I have to check the car." He gets up, waving some of the angry people behind the cars around. It turned out two cars hadn't been fast enough to brake and had ran into the back end of them.

Keith pulled his arm away. "Yes fucking soulmate." Keith suddenly looks completely guarded, hiding his arm from Lance.

"Fucking soulmate," Lance's eyes grow hard and his face falls. "Yeah, fuck you too." He hurried to unbuckle and climb out. "Fuck you."

He was so pissed, _so pissed_. Yes, he was going to have to make it up to Pidge and Shiro later. For now though, he was going to run away and run his sudden aggression off.

Shiro sees Lance out of the corner of his eye. "Lance? Lance what? Hey where are you going?" Shiro turns, ready to catch Lance, but before he can an angry man grabs his arm to get his attention.

Keith watches Lance run, his eyes flicking over the kid.

Lance felt absolutely crushed, this wasn't at all how he imagined meeting his soulmate would be like. He hadn't even realized he had slowed or even stopped until he was falling to his knees. This was awful, he felt like his heart was about to drop out of his chest...

"Grab him!" Someone yelled, stepping in front of the kneeling kid. "He's with Voltron."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took me forever. Editing was a long and tedious process that I just didn't want to do. *cries*


	5. Messages

With Lance disappeared and Shiro having paperwork to sort out. It was a moment before he was convinced to just go. Lance would be fine after all. Once done with their things they headed to the shop in the hopes of talking to Lance... Or at least Pidge and Shiro had that idea.

Keith still didn't want to see Lance. He was against it really.

Shiro walks in and looks around. "Where is Lance?" He blinks at Hunk, waiting for an answer.

Hunk looked up the cupcakes he was frosting, a worried look in his hazel eyes. "I thought he was with you guys?" He said. "He's not here."

When he saw Keith's grumpy expression, Hunk set the frosting bag down and came towards them. "What's wrong with him? What's going on?"

"Keith finally realized who his soulmate was. And I have a feeling you already knew who it was." Shiro gestures at Keith.

He knew Keith had an issue with soulmates. That was pretty well known actually. Though no one ever talked about it.

Pidge sits down immediately at the table and gets out her laptop. "We better track him. This town isn't safe. Especially if anyone from one of the other gangs know he helped Keith. Damn it... Do any of you have his phone number?"

"And you just let him run off?" Hunk said, wiping his hands off. "Keith, are you shitting me? I know you're scared, but he's not used to our world." He was pulling his phone out from his pocket to hand to Pidge. "Here, it's in my phone." He said.

"When we find him, you are going to apologize and stop being a fucking prick." Hunk was upset that Keith had let that happen, and also upset at Shiro was well. But he calmed himself down.  
Keith looked away. He leaned against a counter, crossing his arms.

"Hunk. Relax. We'll find him." Shiro placed his hands on his hips. Despite his calm words he was actually freaking out a bit. They hadn't explained anything about their world to Lance. He didn't know he was their 'cub' or even what that meant. Hell he didn't even know the name of their gang.

Pidge typed away, fingers flying over the keyboard.

Hunk sighed heavily and rubbed a hand down his worried face. He felt a little bad that he had yelled at Keith, but he was worried and upset that they had just let Lance run off. "You're right, we'll find him, but in what shape?"

"Hunk. Don't say that. We have to think positively. We will find him."

"Got him. Warehouse on the edge of town. Next to the pickle factory."

"Got it. We're going." Shiro headed out to the car, stopping for a moment to pop the license plate off the car just in case.

"You can't tell me you're not all thinking the same thing? What if the Galra got a hold of him? He's small and kinda defenseless against them."Hunk was glad that Pidge had found Lance so quickly, it meant he didn't have to worry too much longer. They were going to go get their cub and take proper care of him.

"Then we better get there quick." Shiro got in the car. He was quick to start making his way to the place, not giving much care to the road signs.

Hunk was chewing on his nails by this point. He was so worried about the male they had adopted into their family, and hoped he was okay. One thing was for sure, he would be sitting down with Keith and Lance and having a talk about things.

"What should we do with him?" One asked, grabbing Lance's arms. They had cold clocked him, and now he was just a sack of potatoes. "Do we take him back? Do we just cut him up and leave him for them to find?"

A man dressed almost completely in black leather was crouched over Lance, pulling his hair to examine his face. "So you saw him with the fat one at the shop huh?" He tilted his head curiously. "He's scrawny... Probably new... Or one of their cubs... Not a threat. I say we wait for him to wake up and show him some pain."

It took Lance some time to wake up, and when he did, his head hurt and he could taste blood in his mouth. He didn't realize right away what kind of predicament he was in. Blinking his eyes open, he went to try and rub his eye, but couldn't because his wrist was being held. "What...?"

A smirk spreads across the leather-clad man's face. "Hello beauty, are you awake?" He stalks forward towards Lance.Lance blinked a little harder, trying to get his vision to focus. "Who are you?" He tried to move his hands again, only to find them bound again. He was confused as it was hard to think when his skull felt like it wanted to crack and spill his brains out.

He was scared, because these weren't the people he had just gotten used to. They were evil, he could feel it."

His eyes flick over Lance, leaning over him. "So... You're with Voltron huh? Shame, you're almost too pretty for facial reconstruction. Haxus, get over her and help this boy up."

"Vol...tron?" Lance asked, grunting as Haxus hauled him up from the ground. He swayed on his feet, and only the other man's hard grip kept him standing. "What are you talking about?"

Leather raised an eyebrow at Lance. "Voltron? The Champion? Red, Yellow and Green? You can't tell me you don't know." He shakes his head. "Whatever. It's not going to matter much. Because-" He cuts himself off by raising a foot and kicking Lance in the stomach. "You're going to make a statement either way."

Lance let out a cry with what breath he could, and would have collapsed forwards if he hadn't been held up roughly. He gasped for breath afterwards, and strained against his captor. "Please, I don't know anything," he said. "I don't.. I don't know.."

"This is not about you knowing things." Left hook, right hook, "It's about sending a message."

He takes a minute to shake out his hands. "Alright. We've got a good start to this... I think... We should try going for a broken nose, yeah?"

Lance jerked with each blow, and each one tore him down until he was a sobbing mess. "I didn't do anything!" He cried, his face a mess of purplish bruises, blood, and tears. "I don't understand." He wanted to scream and absolutely beg, but what good would it do? The guy would still do it anyway. Lance was terrified he wouldn't make it out of that alleyway.

After a good while of punching and kicking Leather shook out his hands again. "Damn. This is more fun that I thought it would be. I can only imagine how torn up they'll be over their little lost cub." He punctuated his words with every hit.

He was drawing back to do another good hit to Lance's face when a gunshot hits the alleyway nearby.

With a curse he drops into a crouch and races away. Currently unarmed he couldn't do anything but take off. Besides he'd made his point already.

Lance had gone limp in Haxus’ hold, sagging back against the guy's bulk. He was beyond pain, beyond screaming, beyond anything. He might as well have been dead.

When the gunshot rang out, he thought maybe they were going to put him out of his misery- until he was dropped on the ground.

Hunk cursed and aimed again, but the suckers were quick and already gone. "Dammit, I missed." He was already moving into the alley to where Lance had collapsed, calling the kid's name. "Lance? Lance, buddy?" His voice cracked with emotion as he saw the awful state Lance was in. "Oh, God..."

Pidge and Keith stayed outside the alley, ready to cover Shiro and Hunk if something went wrong.

Shiro stayed close to the wall, eyes scanning the alley out of habit. He stalks forward until he sees Lance.

"Alright... We can handle this..." Shiro steps up to Lance and places a hand against his throat to get a feel of his heartbeat. "His heart rate is a bit high but I think he's alright..." Shiro goes through the motions checking Lance in the field, checking heart beat, feeling for any broken bones, doing anything he could to check for internal bleeding.

"His neck is fine... We can move him."

Lance, the whole time, was struggling to wake up. He kept making these little whimpering sounds every time he was touched or moved.

Hunk nodded softly, and started to carefully pick Lance up, feeling his heart squeeze as he saw the mess they had made of their cub. "I'm sorry bud." He said, and looked to Shiro with big, pleading eyes. "He's staying with us for a while."

"I have zero issues with that. We can cover his shop as well while he heals..." Shiro checks the area once more and peers around the street before gesturing for Hunk to hurry and get Lance in the car.

They headed immediately for their shared apartment. They all had their own places but the top floor of that building was their shared space, not their base of operations mind you but it was their space to just be together like the family they were. Their place to heal and relax together.


	6. Love Me Tender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soft, tender Klance moments. Pure fluffy bois.

It took Lance a long time to finally wake up, and when he did, he wished he hadn't. Everything hurt, and his lungs didn't want to work right. He was dimly aware that he wasn't in his apartment, and that he wasn't alone.

Hunk nearly cried when Lance's eyes finally opened. He had been really worried about the kid. "Hey bud," he said softly, reaching up to tuck a bit of stray hair behind Lance's ear. "Welcome back."

"What... What happened?" Lance asked, glancing around the room; everyone was there, even Keith, though he was moodily leaning against the door jamb.

Pidge's head snaps up to look at Lance when he wakes up. "Oh my God. He's awake. Welcome back to the world of the living."

Shiro smiles and rubs his face in relief. He stays silent for a long moment. "I am so sorry Lance..."

"I feel like someone put he through a wringer," Lance tried to sit up, but nearly shouted at the pain that jolted through his stomach; he flopped pathetically back into the pillows.

"Why do you all look so upset. I'm fine..." but was he? He didn't feel fine, and he sure as hell didn't remember what had happened. "You look like someone died or something."

Shiro rubbed his face again and sat on the edge of the bed. "Someone did put you through the wringer... Lay back alright..."

Pidge goes back to her typing. "You got knocked around pretty good..."

Lance sighed softly and pressed his hands to his face. "The freak was all in leather.. and he kept saying something about Voltron.. whatever Voltron is..."

Everyone dropped their eyes and went silent.

It was Keith who finally spoke. "Voltron is the name of our gang. We are part of one of the two top empires that are currently going head to head in this city. If you don't include the police that is."

If Lance was a computer, an error message would have displayed over his head. "Wait.. what?" He had assumptions, but he never really had guessed. He just thought they were a tight knit group of rough-toughs.

"And you're telling me... That the Leather Freak that beat me to a pulp... Was from the other gang?"

"We are assuming he was one of the Galra yes... Which means they know you are under our protection."

"Keith. This is perhaps not the best time to be blunt." Shiro turns to Keith.

"This is the perfect time to be blunt, he needs to know what's going on."

"So I'm a target now?" Lance still had a giant headache, and it was making it hard to process things- if he sounded oblivious to the others, he didn't care. "Like, this could happen again?" His heart hammered against his ribs. He was terrified he wouldn't survive a next time.

Shiro sighs. "Yes... There is a big target painted on your back..."

"And all because you decided to be a good person." Keith gestures at his bullet wound just to make sure Lance understood what he meant. "You saved my life. And that makes you a target."

"I just... I don't understand..." Lance wasn't one to cry, and never in front of others, but he could feel tears welling up hot in his eyes. They clung to his long lashes before they dripped down his face. "I just wanted to help..." His voice had cracked, so he didn't trust himself to speak anymore. He digs his hands into his hair and pressed his mouth into a line. He would _not_ cry like a baby in front of them... he would not.. _he would not_...

Hunk leans forward and takes one of Lance's hands. "Lance, look at me. We will not let anything happen to you."

"We are here to protect you." Shiro gives Lance a small smile in an attempt of reassurance. After all they were a going to do everything they could to help Lance... Even if the relationships between some of them were a bit... Rocky at the moment.

Lance sniffed and nodded, using his free hand to scrub his eyes. He offered a weak and watery smile to them all, even Keith. "Thanks." He said, and curled his hand in Hunk's. "I know you will."

Shiro shifts around a bit. "That being said... I would like you to stay here more. You can still have your apartment and shop and everything but I want to put in a better security system, and you're going to have all of our numbers on speed dial. And, while you don't have to, I would appreciate if you would take up a room here. You'll be free to decorate how you please, change things around, add things, whatever. It's yours."

Lance listened very closely to Shiro, and nodded along as he spoke. He was, of course, astonished that he was being invited to move in with them; it seemed like a huge undertaking for them. But it would also be less if a burden on them since he would be close at hand.

"Okay," he said softly, smiling a little brighter. "Thank you, for caring about me so much..." he wasn't really sure why they did, besides the fact that he had saved Keith. "I know it's probably a burden."

"Not for our cub." Shiro smiles a bit, getting up then. "Pidge and I are heading to your shop and apartment to set up your new security system. We'll be back in a few hours."

Pidge got up and left with Shiro after that, leaving Hunk Lance and Keith alone in the room... Which in reality was probably not the best choice in people to leave alone together at the moment.

Lance nodded softly and watched them go, feeling tired again already. He was running his fingers along Hunk's palm without even realizing it as his eyelids fluttered, struggling to stay open.

"Thanks for coming to get me," he mumbled, turning towards Hunk. Just looking at Keith made the whole incident flash through his mind, and wrung his heart like a dishrag.

"You don't have to thank me. We are the ones who put you in danger." Hunk smiles at Lance.

Keith shifts from foot to foot before getting up and leaving. Hunk had Lance taken care of after all. He wasn't needed.

"I probably wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't've run off." Lance countered, watching from the corner of his eye as Keith left. The stutter of his heart was involuntary and painful... but he didn't know why, really. Keith had rejected him as a soulmate, and he thought he would be over it already; but his mind and body was telling him otherwise.

Hunk runs his hand gently over Lance's jaw. "Do you want any pain meds?" He was so worried about Lance. He couldn't help it. The kid was so sweet, he didn't want to see him hurt.

The smaller male shook his head slightly, but then seemed to reconsider it. He was having an internal fight, on one hand wanting some relief and on the other not wanting to seem weak. "Maybe in a little bit," he said, tilting his head into Hunk's hand. It was warm and comforting, and seemed to take the edge off the pain in his chest.

"Alright. If you need anything, tell me." Hunk settled, getting good and comfortable so he could be near Lance.

"Okay," Lance gave a soft, lazy smile, and settled back into the pillows. He feigned normality well, given he could feel every injury, every bruise, every crack. His ribs hurt when he breathed too deeply, and his stomach was a mess. But, despite it all, he still found himself dozing off.

Lance didn't stay asleep too long, he was still human after all and needed to pee. He got up slowly, still sore but also not wanting to wake Hunk up from his little nap. He padded quietly down the hall to the bathroom and knocked softly, just in case someone was in there.

The bathroom door opened just after Lance knocked.

Keith blinks at Lance then looks down. "I was just finishing." He steps aside so Lance could have the bathroom.

"I just didn't want to barge in..." Lance whispered softly, looking down as well. "Thanks," he slipped around Keith into the bathroom, limping a little.

Keith sees him limping and sighs. "Here, wait a second." he kneels down to check out Lance's leg, running his hand gently over it, trying not to hurt Lance while also checking his bones.

Lance stopped to look at Keith, questioning in his eyes as the other knelt down. He had to bite back a wince as Keith's hands brushed against the tender bruises and cuts there. He jerked as Keith paused on a particularly bad one "Ow!"

"Sorry sorry. We're worried about your bones... Have you ever broke one before?" He straightens up when he finishes his check. Keith may be behaving badly but he still cared. They all did. It was how they worked.

"I broke my collarbone once... and.. oh yeah, my left leg." Which was the one that hurt.. like badly.. maybe it had been broken again. "I'm fine," he said, and went to take a step but winced as his leg shifted painfully.

"I think you cracked it but I don't think it's broken. I don't think you'll need a cast but you'll need to be careful for a while. I'm going to the kitchen... Would you like something to eat?" Keith started towards the kitchen, looking over his shoulder at Lance.

"Yeah, will do.." Lance wasn't entirely sure why Keith seemed so concerned about him since he'd made the point that he wasn't interested in Lance at all.

When he was asked if he wanted something to eat, he nodded softly. "Yeah, that would be nice." He wasn't entirely sure how much he could eat though, with his stomach in shit condition. "I'm going to take a leak and meet you in the kitchen."

Keith nods and heads to the kitchen. He starts searching for food be thought Lance would be able to handle. He remembered the first time he'd truly been beat up, eating had been hard, everything had been hard really. He starts with applesauce, setting it on the table for Lance before going back to look for more.

After doing the biz, Lance limped his way into the kitchen and settled into a chair at the breakfast bar. He was pleasantly surprised to see Keith was willing to take care of him. He reached for the little bowl of applesauce and popped a bite into his mouth. "Thanks..." he was absentmindedly reaching for a pen to doodle on his arm, but stopped because he realized Keith might not appreciate it.

Keith glances over, seeing the pen in Lance's hand. He sighs and closes the cupboard he had been looking in. "You can draw on your arm, I won't mind." They were going have to talk about this. It was inevitable really.

"No, that's okay.." Lance said softly, and set the pen down. He would need to control himself from impulsively drawing on himself.

He quietly continued eating his applesauce, looking down at the fading ink under all the bruises on his arm. He wanted to talk about it, but he didn't want to push or rush Keith into anything.

Keith remains silent for a good while before crossing the kitchen to pick up the pen Lance had been holding. He starts doodling on his own arm; he usually avoided doing so, rarely making marks on his skin unless it was a list or a name. Drawing on himself had always been a big no-no to him. Sure, he did it sometimes and he often saw the marks Lance made, though he'd ignore them if he could, but now seemed like a rather appropriate moment to do so.

Lance looked up, his blue eyes widening slightly. "You don't... You don't have to do that just to make me happy..." he said, not wanting Keith to feel bad for him. He didn't want the pity, he wanted Keith to like him in his own time.

"I know I upset you earlier." Keith continues his doodle without looking up. "I don't necessarily want you to think I don't like you." His words came slow and some of them were stuttered as if he started saying one word and then changed his mind halfway through. He was struggling but managing to get his words out in an order that made sense.

Lance looked down at his wrist, watching as ink bloomed over the bruises on his skin. "I don't really blame you for not really liking me. I probably wouldn't like me too much either." He traced a line slowly, then lifted his eyes to Keith slowly. "I just want to get to know you, y'know? We don't even have to do any of the love bullshit if you don't want."

"I did not say I didn't like you." Keith was struggling for words still, unable to throughly explain himself. "I like you just fine." Keith finishes off his lion doodle before setting the pen aside. He stares at the image for a bit longer before going back to the fridge. "Do you want something to drink?"

Lance let out a little sigh- Keith was right, he never said he didn't like Lance, just freaked out about the soulmate thing. He could tell Keith was having a hard time, so he was willing to let it drop.

"Do you guys have any juice?" He was a little kid at heart, okay?

"Does this work?" He pulled out a huge jug of fruit punch and sets it on the counter in front of Lance before turning away to retrieve some cups.

"Yeah, yeah that's good." Lance said, and reach over to screw the cap off. After another few moments of quiet, Lance just had to ask the question that was in his mind.

"I know you don't really know me yet, but... why did you react so... so..." he was struggling for a word. "... harshly? When you found out we were soulmates? I just, don't understand..."

Keith doesn't turn to look at Lance, setting the cups on the counter in front of him, he stares at them for a long while before answering, "I'd rather not talk about that." Keith brings the cups over and pour then each a glass, nudging one towards Lance before picking up his own and leaning against the counter.

"I know it's a really personal and invasive question, and I'm sorry... I just... sorry." He couldnt think of anything else to say and not make himself seem like a bastard or an idiot.

"No no it's fine. It's not really that big of deal..." Keith sighs heavily, avoiding looking at Lance. "I was a foster kid. For a really long ass time that's what I was. Sometimes my parents would get me back but that would never last long... They fought... All the time and my mom would often run off and leave us only to bring home another man..." He lets out a shuddery breath. "And they were soulmates. And they were terribly to each other and..."

"And you're worried you might treat your soulmate that way too..." Lance said softly, his eyes dropping. "I'm sorry, I feel bad for asking now..." he said.

Standing slowly, Lance limped over to Keith and slowly, so he could back out of it if he wanted to, wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Keith accepts the hug, though loosely. He loops his arms around Lance though still plenty loose.

He had closed his eyes, but he quickly opened them again in an attempt to chase away the pictures of his parents that were trying to paint themselves across his lids.

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry." Lance said, resting his head gently against Keith's shoulder. He felt so terrible about what happened to Keith, and couldnt imagine it happening to his family.

Keith remains silent for a good while before finally pulling out of the hug. "Why are you apologizing for it? It wasn't like you were them."

It wasn't even like Lance could really even understand. He hadn't been there.

"I know but..." Lance paused, his throat catching around the words he wasn't sure how to say. He looked down and swallowed harshly, as if he could get them to go down or come up.

Keith sighs. "You should head back to bed. I'll walk you back." Keith places a hand on Lance's back, nudgeing him towards the room they had given him.

"But I-" Lance thought it would be pretty pointless to try and fight Keith, so he relented. Plus his leg was really starting to hurt. "Okay.." he said softly, and let himself be lead back.

Keith only took him to the door. He and Hunk weren't really on the best page at the moment and he didn't want to invade the space currently claimed as his.

Sensing that Keith wasnt going to take him any further, Lance turned to him and pecked his cheek before limping just inside the room.

"See you later?" He said softly, peeking through the crack in the door.

Keith put a hand on his cheek. Oh. That was unexpected. "Uh... Yeah. Right. I'll see you later."

Keith turned and left after that. He really hadn't expected to be kissed today. Then again he never expected to be kissed, ever.

"Later," Lance closed the door quietly and then sagged against it. His heart was beating so hard in his chest, he felt like it was going to break out of his cracked ribs.

"Oh shit. Oh my shit." He dragged his hands down his face before righting himself and limping to the bed.

Hunk shifted in the bed. He raises his head bit and blinked at Lance. "Lance? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine," Lance said, crawling up onto the bed. "Don't mind me, I'm just being a spaz." He curled up under the blankets and up against Hunk, suddenly cold. "I'm good."

Hunk pulls Lance to himself, careful of course but wanting to warm him. "If you need anything tell me."

"I will hun, don't worry." Lance said, and adjusted himself in Hunk's arms. It was super nice to be able to go to someone for comfort, and Hunk was just that person.

Hunk smiles and pulls Lance against his chest for cuddling proposes.

Among other things maybe.

He did like Lance. A lot actually. He was a great kid. If only he hadn't got tangled up in this crap.

Lance gladly curled into Hink's embrace, and slotted himself against the larger male like a little puzzle piece. He liked Hunk, perhaps more than he cared to admit, and was glad it seemed Hunk liked him too.

Keith would probably take some work to get to open up, and one didn't have to be tied down to their soulmate- So maybe it would be okay if he was with Hunk for a little bit.


End file.
